#rio's sober in this interaction

[casteliacityramen]

Response to this post w/ @lustrous-dawn

"I guess we're a bit too similar--we're good at putting up a front," Rio sighs. It's as exactly as Zhen says, and it sucks how right he is about it all. Here she thought she was doing a good job at her performance before she ran into someone who almost completely saw through her.

What stings the most was that her attempt was just that: an attempt. An unsuccessful try to reconnect to someone she forgot. She almost convinced herself that she was back to someone she used to recognize in the mirror.

It wasn't fair.

Nor was it fair for Zhen to be caught up in Rio's negative vibe. She knew next to nothing about him, but given what she's seen so far, it's clear that he didn't deserve to be caught in the crossfire like that. Had she known prior about his uncanny ability to peer through someone's facade, she might've approached it differently.

She saw the way he brought a conversation to a brighter mood. Taking something that was headed towards disaster and reviving it into something a little more uplifting. Fitting, given the phoenix motif. It's only fair she does the same.

"I will say, sometimes when you don a persona like a piece of armor, it feels like you're putting on a performance in a more literal sense. Like a costume," Rio smiled at the comparison, thinking back to a fonder memory of her doing just that.

"I suggest you try it sometime and go heavy on the pomp and circumstance (maybe not here). 'Crank it up to 11,' as some humans say. I bet you'd have an entire room around your finger." You'll find some social situations less suffocating if you decide to take it that way."

"I've been having fun with it. If you do happen to be in Castelia City, look for a ramen shop. I bet you'd like the finale to the show I've been putting on."

[Rio's Gala Information]

#zhen's such a good boy #sinsibsgala #pokeask #pokemon ask blog #rio #orange=true and/or genuine #rio's sober in this interaction

[deaths]

the date (part 1 of 2 maybe 3)

content warning: alcohol, single mention of vomit, kissy kissy smoochy smoochy, himeno

Rio sat on the only place in his mostly unfurnished apartment allowed him, his bed. He played with his nails to try to act like the time wasn’t moving painfully slow. 4:45pm, their date was set for 5pm. Aki lived in the same apartment complex, so there wasn’t a reason for him to be late. How the fuck did a small crush on a coworker turn into this mess? Rio thought to himself, staring at his combat boots.

It had moved so slow, yet it happened so quickly. Rio had disliked Aki for his comment on how he didn’t wear the uniform assigned to him correctly, then neither of them talked much, unless it was for work reasons. Rio remembered his damn suit jacket he let him borrow. It was all on a spiral after that. Aki had invited Rio to everything, and anything work related. Bimonthly work drinking parties became more often, leading to a lot of uncomfortable interactions.

Himeno had one arm over Rio, Himeno had pulled Rio aside from the party, both standing outside in the cold night air. She was a fucking wreck at this point. “Rio,” She slurred. “You have to bring Aki home tonight. Denji and Power took his keys, he’s a damn wreck. You’re sober enough.”

“I’ll just ring the doorbell; we live in the same apartment complex after all.”

Himeno playfully hit Rio’s back. “No, no, no. Listen,” she said, trying to act more sober than she was. “Your apartment. Let him crash. He would want nothing more.” Rio stared at her, not fully understanding what she was even trying to imply.

But as the night dragged, Rio had bought Aki to his apartment. Laying him on the couch, placing a vomit bucket on the coffee table and a cup of water. This became common place anytime there was a work event with alcohol that Denji and Power would leave early, taking the house keys from a very drunk Aki, leaving Rio to watch over him. One night was a different story.

“I really,” Aki stumbled out. “Like you, more than coworkers and friends.” Aki said, propped up on the couch. He was a bright red, trying to maintain eye contact with Rio. “I want to kiss you, so, so bad. Fuck.”

Rio’s gut turned into butterflies, the feeling was now or never, and Rio took the jump. Slowly grabbing both sides of his face, leaning in for a kiss, Aki willingly allowing so. The kiss was small, light, and lasted for less than a second. But both now could do nothing more than stare at each other’s flustered faces. Seconds feeling like a lifetime. Neither noticing Rio’s hands slowly burning the sides of Aki’s face.

The two of you acted like nothing had happened, Aki had told others when they ask about the small burn marks on both of his cheeks that he had fallen on a stove top, twice. About a week of the normal pattern of not talking to each other unless needed, at a normal place the two of you have lunch at, Aki broke the silence.

“Available tomorrow at 5pm?” He said, avoiding eye contact and quickly shoving a gyoza in his mouth.

Rio raised a eyebrow at his question, stopping eating to stare at him for a moment. “Why?”

Aki finished the gyoza in his mouth. “Answer the question.”

Fuck, he was probably going to make you do overtime because he wants to do overtime, again. I can’t lie, he’s technically my authority. “Yeah, what’s up?” Half sighing.

Aki paused, thinking of what to say next. “I would like to,” He lets out a sigh. “Go to the movies with you. Buy you dinner instead of lunch for once.” Aki reached with his chop sticks to get another gyoza, hands visibly shaking.

“Oh,” Rio said staring at his hands. “Yeah, okay.” Without thinking much about it.

Now Rio was dressed up nicely, sitting on his bed, waiting for the doorbell to ring. At the time he wasn’t thinking much of it, but it dawned on him the day of that he was asked out, on a date, by Aki. He even struggled to find something nice to dress up in.

There was a soft knock on the main door. Rio slowly got up, staring at the door for a moment to not give the impression of desperation. Opening the door was a well dressed Aki, standing in a outfit foreign to Rio, it was more casual then his typical suit and tie. But he looked good in it. “Hey,” Rio spoke shyly, staring at his nice leather shoes.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Rio looked up, he was carrying a medium sized bouquet of red roses, wearing a expression of nervousness and a small smile.

“Oh, fuck,” Rio accidentally slipped out. “Of course, I don’t! Thank you so much.” He said grabbing the bouquet. Rio’s face grew hot, and the realization that not bursting into flames today was going to be difficult to say the least.

#devilhuntershipping #its 2am i hope this is good LOL

[dudefrommywesterns]

info:

mike and pete work together at the circus. mike falls first and is very insecure about pete’s interactions with jill and saadia. pete eventually realizes he likes mike, because the animals tell him. mike tells him they’re going on a date in humorous fashion. a very summery, humor heavy ship.

mike and dude are originally friends when mike first meets the sheriff’s deputy. they have a big falling out after dude goes off with the stage girl and returns drunk and broken hearted. mike tries to house and care for him but he runs them dry out of money and patience. they don’t speak for 2 years. when he’s sober again, he’s very sorry and the situation with nathan burdette forces them to be around each other and allows them to heal their relationship (and realize they are very much in love). they care for each other and lean on each other. also: queers in cowboy get up. need i say more?

#typewriter dings #mike's boat #dude #p.n.

[cebwrites]

to walk on stormy seas

comfort, nakamaship he/they law, heart pirates, ocs word count: 0.8k

They all gather ‘round - beat up, bandaged, but undoubtably happy. They were victorious against the Emperors.  Waves of relief wash over the battle-torn seafarers in their quaint lodgings provided by the samurai Denjiro’s yakuza as they file in to enjoy their dinner, courtesy of Reiji, Mitsu, and the resident Heart cooks. They mingled irrespective of who their captains were, seated interchangeably on both sides of the long table, with those who each individual were closest to; they were all family, though, everyone was familiar with each other by now, after this many years and through all the hardship they’d been through.

Nakama.

Some of them would scoff at the name, others smile endearingly at the notion because it’s true, however naive the term may sound, especially for a band of full grown pirates.

Captains are sat right front and center together, their second (and third) in commands flank them; the doctor’s running a little low on energy from constant parties thrown in Strawhat’s honor, but they can manage at least one more night since this is a personal affair with their crews. Plus, everyone’s made it clear that he’s free to step out to center himself however long or frequently Law needs to, for the sake of his comfort. None mention it, but their captain’s gratitude is well perceived.

When Law returns from one such breathers, they take a moment to observe everyone from a distance - whether it’s a ‘loner’ habit or the swell in their chest from watching everyone so content, joyfully interacting with one another, reminiscing old adventures or telling stories from before they were a part of this little slice of home, he doesn’t know. Frankly, that’s not important. What does catch the surgeon’s eye, though, is his partner’s wobbling lip, right at the front of the table where they’d eaten together tonight. The gloss over his eyes, too. Reiji’s immediately at his side, being closer, but it doesn’t take long for a lull to settle when the other captain’s sniffs become audible, whisps of worry carry with it.

“Sorry to ruin the fun,” Kirin breathes, shaky, “I want to thank everyone for-- for fighting so hard. It’s selbish and unpair bec-- because not ebryone ad de raid dib, bu’ I’bm so hapby we’re adll sdill here.” 

Tears overtake him by the time Kirin finishes, garbling the man’s speech almost entirely, it’s clear that this burst of sentimentality was helped along by nothing shy of an unreasonable amount of alcohol. And the countless near-death experiences they’ve all been fielding lately. Then again, Law wonders if there was a point where the Hiraishin captain had been entirely sober at all through these past few days of back-to-back banquets and celebrations. It’s.. unlikely.

Bepo’s the first to stand, with a wail of his name, and engulfs Kirin in a tearful bear hug, trapping a softly laughing, misty-eyed Reiji in the crossfire. Various other pirates of Heart try to hide streams of sentimentality with their array of decorative hats, scarves, and other face-covering accessories, but most eventually give in and join in on the tearful blob pile - or at least the ones that can fit.

The rest Kirin’s own crew is surprisingly reserved in comparison to their sensitive captain, if only for the fact that they’re used to such shows of sentimentality by now. Even still, there are sniffles here and there from their end, sleeves rubbing moisture from tired eyes and faces nuzzled into crooks of partner’s necks or shoulders to hide any overt shows of emotion. Rio gets up with the quiet mumble a smoke break, pausing only briefly needle at Law sat by the door about why they’re not over there comforting their darling.

“It’s too crowded, I’ll cuddle with him later,” is the weary response Kirin’s first mate gets - with an additional, “You don’t have to burn lung tissue to cry, you know. Stepping out for a moment alone without excuse is fine, too.”

Rio sneers at him and feigns a kick at the younger pirate, Law keeps his laugh quiet and personal while everyone on the inside slowly calms down. Rio lights his pipe as he pads away down the outer halls. Once far enough away, he settles against the railing, tapping the ash from his pipe into a little tray pulled from the kimono he’d been given to wear for such festivities post-raid. Rio does consider what he’s told, and frowns that the little bugger is right. 

No way in hell he’d let Law have the satisfaction of a confirmation, though. 

He takes a long drag, blowing smoke circles into the night, “We’ve ushered in a new era, but old habits do die hard, huh?” Unseen to anyone around, an ear from the ceiling disperses with a plume of flower petals and far across the island, Robin’s eyebrows raise before a small smile pulls across her face as she watches her captain’s antics, leaning against her beloved cyborg’s shoulder.

#cebwrites #one piece #heart pirates #trafalgar d water law #law one piece #op bepo #this is for me #cause ya boi in his feels and he's SOFT #let it out boys let it out #all my homegirls too #he/they trafalgar law #comfort #rekilaw #law x oc #lawrin #frobin #nico robin #hiraishin

[365days365movies]

Western August I: Stagecoach (1939) - Recap and Review

Let’s start at the beginning...almost,

The Western arguably was born with the 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery. This 12-minute short film is a classic, and one of the earliest achievements in film-making. It’s also, unsurprisingly, a Western, and based on an actual train robbery. At the time it was made, the Wild West had only really ended a few years prior, with its heyday being about 40 years past. Which, yeah, is CRAZY. People who remembered the Wild West lived into the 1950s and ‘60s. It seems like so long ago, and it was, but it was still relatively recent from a historical standpoint.

From then, the Western remained a staple of cinema, and would be so for over half a century. And then, enter John Ford. Born in 1894, the Irish American director began his career in 1914 as an assistant and handyman, often working with his older brother Francis. Eventually, John took his place as a director, starting with silent films, especially westerns. Starting with the very successful film The Iron Horse in 1924, he quickly rose to stardom. He transitioned from silent films to talkies pretty effortlessly, and continued his streak. All the while, he was also one of the first directors to have a roster of actors in his company. You know how Tim Burton always uses Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter? Or how the Coen Brothers always use Frances McDormand and John Goodman? Or Wes Andersen with Bill Murray and Owen Wilson? Yeah, that started with John Ford and...ugh...

Before I start...fuck John Wayne.

Dude was a racist homophobic asshole, and absolutely a dick. Look it up, or don’t if you’d rather not have one of cinemas most iconic faces completely ruined for you. But OK, outside of that one time that he said that the Native Americans were “selfishly trying to keep the land for themselves”, or that he believed in white supremacy over uneducated blacks...yeah, he’s a DICK...

Marion Robert Morrison was born in Iowa in 1907, and began his film career after becoming injured while surfing without a surfboard and ending his football career. Yes, really. His football coach was a friend of a film director named John Ford, who hired Morrison as a favor to him. Said football coach was also friends with an actual remnant of the Old West: WYATT FUCKING EARP. YEAH.

For years, Morrison was a bit player until starring in the film The Big Trail in 1930, a Western directed by Raoul Walsh. And he wasn’t exactly famous after this, but it was with this film that he took up a screen name: John Wayne, after a Revolutionary War general, Anthony Wayne, and...well, the name John. Anthony sounded too Italian. Yes, really. After this movie, Wayne continued to star in more Westerns, and even became one of the first film cowboys to sing on camera. 

And then, 1939 came along, and John Ford came to him with a new film project. Being a classic Western, the film was about a group of settlers riding on a stagecoach together through the West. Strangers to each other, they find themselves attacked by a group of Native Americans belonging to the Apache tribes. This film, an adaptation of a 1939 short story, would come to be known as Stagecoach. And it would launch Ford, Wayne, and the Western genre into a Golden Age. So no more navel-gazing, let’s get started!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

I get reminded that I haven’t watched a Criterion Collection film in a while, and the film begins with a rousing Western theme, courtesy of...holy shit, this movie has SEVEN COMPOSERS? Well, OK, courtesy of somebody in that list of seven. From there, we cut to a camp somewhere in the Arizona Territory in 1880. Which, again, is only 60 years prior to this film’s release date. There, a group of men discuss the danger imposed on them by the Apache, stirred up by the legendary warrior Geronimo. 

And from there, we go to the town of Tonto, where stagecoach driver Buck (Andy Devine) lets a group of passengers out. One of these passengers is Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), there to catch another shuttle to meet her husband in Dry Fork, New Mexico. However, the stagecoach gains an extra passenger in the form of the Marshal, Curley Wilcox (George Bancroft), who goes to find an outlaw also in Lordsburg.

The passenger list builds with the addition of Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) and Dallas (Claire Trevor), a drunk and a prostitute both driven out of town by the Law and Order League of Women, due to social stigma affecting them both. In a bar getting a farewell drink, Doc meets yet one more passenger, Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek), a whiskey salesman that Doc is glad to meet. Meanwhile, banker Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill) also boards the vehicle, under mysterious circumstances.

Friends of Lucy are worried with her travelling a drunk and a prostitute (the ABSOLUTE SCANDAL), but she needs to visit her husband in Dry Fork. As she leaves, she meets eyes with the dangerous but enigmatic gambler Hatfield (John Carradine). And before they’re able to leave altogether, the carriage is stopped by the army, who warn them of the Apache and Geronimo. All of the passengers refuse to get off, and YET TWO MORE passengers board to protect the carriage: the Marshal and Hatfield. And finally, they’re off! But as they head out, they’re stopped when they encounter a recently escaped outlaw.

This is The Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who just got out of prison. The Marshal sees him, and takes him into custody on the way to Lordsburg, where they plan to drop him off into jail. And yes, he’s put on the fucking stagecoach. In total, we have Buck, the Marshal, Lucy, Hatfield, Doc, Peacock, Gatewood, and the Ringo Kid. Jesus, that’s a crowded-ass carriage, even if two of them are outside of it. Hell, Ringo’s sitting on the fuckin’ floor!

Anyway, the group interacts and introduces themselves. We learn that Doc once patched up Ringo’s brother, and was discharged from the Union Army for drunkenness. We learn that Hatfield is a true southern gentleman, and a veteran of the Confederate army (much to Doc’s ire), and that Ringo’s brother was murdered under mysterious circumstances.

The group gets to Dry Forks, currently under occupation by the army. Said army had accompanied them (outside of the carriage, thank God) to Dry Forks, and are staying there to guard against the Apache. Meanwhile, Lucy’s dismayed to find that her husband isn’t in fact there. This leads to the debate of whether or not the party should go back to Tonto, or head onwards to Lordsburg. Buck wants to go back to Tonto, as does Peacock, while literally everybody else wants to go to Lordsburg. And so, they continue onwards.

Before heading onwards, the group sits for dinner, during which Ringo is the only one to show any form of kindness to Dallas, as everybody else looks down on her for prostitution. Shit, man, they won’t even sit near her at the table. Jesus. Unfortunately, Dallas is used to this cruel treatment, and it allows her to bond with Ringo in her loneliness. Once again, character interactions reveal things about our cast. Lucy is feeling quite ill, and Hatfield reveals that he served under her father in the Confederate Army. 

And from there, the coach continues on through the desert. Buck and the Marshal argue about letting Ringo free, as he aims to continue his feud with the outlaw Luke Plummer and his brothers, despite the fact that he’ll likely be killed by them. It’s for this reason that the Marshal wants to keep Ringo in his custody, as he was good friends with his father and doesn’t want to see him killed by the dangerous Plummers, whom Buck thinks should be taken down regardless.

Inside the coach, the banker reveals that he’s literally a Republican from 2016 (he rants about small government, and claims that a businessman should be President, holy shit), while people keep treating Dallas like shit, except for Ringo. They go through a cold mountain pass, which isn’t great for Lucy for some reason. It’s actually quite rough on everyone. Except for Doc Boone, who keeps drinking Peacock’s whiskey samples, which is hilarious.

Finally, the group makes it to the next stop, Apache Wells. There, Lucy discovers that her husband has been severely wounded in a battle with the Apache, and she falls faint. Despite being absolutely SMASHED, Doc sobers up to help her, with the help of Ringo and the Marshal. Meanwhile, Dallas watches over her, despite the rancor that Lucy’s tossed at her this whole time.

The group stays the night, attended to by Chris (Chris Pin-Martin) a Mexican man who’s married to Yakima (Elvira Rios), an Apache woman who...is played by a Mexican singer. Huh. I mean...it’s still technically redface, unfortunately. But then again, the attitude towards Native American actors at this time was...oh boy. And the portrayal of the Mexicans in the camp aren’t exactly great, as a group of them steal the group’s spare horses, meaning that they only have one set of horses to use from here on out.

But amongst the unpleasant is a pleasant surprise, and the reveal of the cause for Lucy’s mysterious condition: she’s pregnant. Or rather, she was, as the baby’s just been delivered, and is being held by Dallas. As the group celebrates, Chris warns Ringo to stay away from Lordsburg, as the Plummers will kill him. But Ringo has something else on his mind.

See, on seeing Dallas with the baby, he finds himself quite in love with her. He finds her outside, and tells her that his father and brothers were killed by the Plummers. In turn, she reveals that her family was massacred on the real-life Superstition Mountain. Their conversation ends in Ringo proposing to Dallas, which she protests to because of her mysterious past.

The next morning, Yakima’s left with Chris’ horse and rifle, and the group worry that she’s gone to tell the Apache. After Gatewood panics about his mysterious valise being possibly stolen, the group packs up and readies themselves to go. But Lucy is, of course, still ill from literally giving birth hours ago. Things are still tense between Lucy and Dallas, despite Dallas taking care of her the entire fucking night. Jesus, lady, that high horse is looking uncomfortable, you should get off it.

Dallas has something else to worry about, as she’s thinking on Ringo’s proposal. She consults with the doctor, who reminds her of her mysterious and checkered past being revealed if she goes. But she doesn’t seem to care, and she decides to accept the proposal. As for the rest, Gatewood’s freakin’ the fuck out. Because of Lucy’s condition, the doctor requests that they don’t leave until a day later. And Gatewood doesn’t give a single shit, as the Apache are close enough. Still, the party decides to stay, at Hatfield’s added insistence.

Ringo and Dallas talk, with Dallas both warning him of the Plummers, and also accepting his proposal. The men are all still arguing about whether or not they should leave, and they note that the Apache are likely between them and their destination. Ringo then takes the opportunity to escape and ride to Lordsburg for revenge on the Plummers. But he stops when he sees smoke signals on the hill. The Apache are coming.

No more waiting, it’s time to GO. Taking the still recovering lady and her newborn child Coyote into the stagecoach, they take off into the desert. Gatewood continues to run his loudmouth, to the ire of Hatfield and Ringo. And Peacock, to my delight, shows some kindness and “Christian charity” to Dallas, as she holds Coyote during the ride. And after all, they’re almost at the ferry!

Ah, shit, the ferry! Looks like the ferry, and the entire town of Lee’s Ferry have been burned. And if they ford the river, all of their supplies could be flooded, or the oxen could drown! Or worse, dysentery could set in! That’s what The Oregon Trail taught me! And yet, despite this, that’s actually EXACTLY what they do! And unlike me literally every time I’ve every tried to cross a river without a ferry, they make it through fine! Realistic educational games my ASS!

But it’s not entirely safe, as the group are being watched by none other than the Apache, who make their way down to intercept the group. In the carriage, meanwhile, the group is thankful that they’ve made their way from danger, and even Gatewood relaxes a little. Doc Boone makes a toast, and everyone seems to be getting along for once.

OH FUCK, PEACOCK GOT HIT!

The girlfriend IMMEDIATELY SAYS, “Now he really is Drew Peacock.” I leave and get boba to soothe my injured spirit from that well-timed joke. And then, the movie continues, and the chase is on! The Apache chase the stagecoach through the desert, and the groups trade gunshots and arrows, with Ringo shooting from the back. Gatewood panics so hard that Doc Boone punches him and IMMEDIATELY knocks him out, as he attends to Peacock’s injuries.

But despite their best efforts, the Apache group catches up to them, although many of them are killed by Ringo, the Marshal, Doc, and Hatfield. In the process, Buck is also shot, and Ringo literally jumps ON THE FUCKING HORSES, and commands them from the front like a goddamn badass. Things begin to get worse, as everybody in the stagecoach runs out of ammo, at the worst possible time. Hatfield only has one bullet remaining, and he considers using it...to kill Lucy! Holy fuck!

And just as he’s about to fire IN HER FUCKING FACE, the sounds of horns ring out as the cavalry arrives. And Hatfield, dick that he is, is shot. I think he was trying to spare her the indignity of being captured by the Apache, but Jesus, man! He collapses, and reveals that his father is a judge in Virginia before he...either passes out or dies, I’m not sure. The group finally gets to Lordsburg, where it turns out that Lucy’s husband is gonna be OK, and wasn’t severely injured. She tanks Dallas for everything that she’s done, and promises to help her should she ever need assistance. Good, finally, the lady needs a goddamn break.

The stagecoach rides through the busy town, and the arrival of the Ringo Kid gets the attention of Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler), who fetches his brothers Hank (Vester Pegg) and Ike (Joe Rickson). Time to get ready for a showdown, it seems. Dallas seems to know this, and goes to Ringo after the living Peacock (yay!) and the not-so-living Hatfield (oof) are brought in for medical help.

Buck’s also OK, but Gatewood isn’t. See, that valise he was carrying was actually full of money, and he had embezzled it from his own bank. He had counted on telegraph lines being down, so that he could escape with his ill-gotten gains, but has no such luck, and is led away in handcuffs! HA!

Ringo, meanwhile, is set to kill Luke Plummer and his brothers. The Marshal lets him escape, and promises to get Dallas safely down to a little ranch he owns in the South. Dallas and Ringo walk off together, and Dallas tries to get him to leave and say goodbye before he goes to his death, and before he finds out about her past (presumably as a prostitute). 

See, they’re actually walking up to a brothel, where Dallas is going to stay and work. Because, yeah, she’s a prostitute. Sucks that she’s been so maligned, because prostitution fuckin’ BUILT the Old West! I guess it’s easier to see that with historical context. As Ringo finds out the truth about Dallas (which he might’ve known all along), he still insists upon marrying her...and upon killing the Plummers.

Doc, meanwhile, goes to the bar where the Plummers are waiting. He tells them that he’ll get them arrested, and Luke swears to come back for him after their business with Ringo is concluded. The brothers head outside, ready for the final showdown. It’s 3 on one, Plummers against Ringo. Ringo fires! A few more shots...then silence. And Dallas mourns.

Except that Ringo wins the fight, and goes back to her! A happy ending! I’m sure that’ll be pretty goddamn rare this month. The Marshal arrives to take Ringo away, and Ringo goes as promised. She asks to ride with him a bit, and the Marshal agrees. He and Doc watch them get on, then cause the horses of the carriage to stampede away, letting Ringo and Dallas escape into the desert, together. And that’s the end!

Y’know...I liked it! I really liked it! 

This movie is often referred to as the greatest Western of all time, and the reason that the Western survived into the next several decades. And honestly, I get it! It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and won for Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell, AKA Doc) and Best Original Score, both of which were quite deserved!

Review time!

Cast and Acting - 9/10: Sure, it’s a little hokey. But at the same time, it’s good classic Hollywood acting! Wayne, Trevor, Mitchell, Carradine, and Devine are standouts for me, all of which serving their roles well. Also, fun fact about Andy Devine: he’s the voice of Friar Tuck in Disney’s Robin Hood! KNEW I recognized that voice!

Plot and Writing - 10/10: Standard plot? Sure. Engaging as hell? Hell yeah! This is just a good story, plain and simple. No holes, no problems, no mistakes, and purely straightforward. Great writing by the original story author, Ernest Haycox, and great screenplay by Dudley Nichols!

Directing and Cinematography - 10/10: Great looking movie, too! All credit to John Ford, unsurprisingly. Cinematographer Bert Glennon also deserves credit for the beautiful landscape shots throughout. Gogeous film, even in black-and-white!

Production and Art Design - 8/10: This is pretty standard Western production design, so not a lot to write home about specifically. However, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. To the contrary, it’s quite good! Just does stand out to me quite as much as other movies. Might be a nitpick, but it’s still something against the film.

Music and Editing - 10/10: No complaints! Seven composers definitely make their presence known, and you can tell that this score heavily informed all Western scores after it. It’s iconic, and it’s perfect for the mood. As for the editing by Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer...it’s great! Perfect pacing, well-edited...no complaints whatsoever.

94%, and I had fun with this one!

I honestly did have quite a good time with this one. I can’t really call it a “fun” movie, but it definitely is a good one. Plus, it’s a John Ford/John Wayne film, which is basically a staple of the genre. So, what’s next?

Next: My Darling Clementine (1946), dir. John Ford

#stagecoach #stagecoach 1939 #john ford #claire trevor #john wayne #andy devine #john carradine #thomas mitchell #george bancroft #apache #western august #365 days 365 movies #365 movie challenge #western genre #user365 #usersasha #my gifs #mygifs

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 37 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Things looked up for Violet as she finally settled into the new normal of working in design.

This Chapter: One of New York’s most illustrious editors-in-chief turns 40--in style.

***

Shit.

It had been an absolute hell week, Courtney being run ragged all day, everyday. She’d missed more meals than not, barely slept, had gotten used to only using the bathroom when Fame was occupied.

It was really the first time that she and Miss Fame had to interact directly for more than a few words, and if Courtney thought she was high-maintenance before, she had no idea how weird it would get.

On Tuesday, Courtney had been torn a new one for ringing the doorbell when she had dropped off a package at Fame’s house, Fame looking at her like she was absolute vermin.

How was Courtney supposed to have known that it was a deathsin not to just let herself into her boss’ house, Fame explaining to her like she was a retarded toddler that she valued her family life and private time too much to be interrupted, not at all catching the irony of the fact that she was imposing on Courtney’s private time by forcing her to come to her house at 10 pm.

And now, a casual text from Adore that she’d be there around 7:30 reminded her about Bianca’s party and she was absolutely panicking. She had less than an hour to make herself presentable with literally nothing to wear.

She’d meant to ask Ivy about a dress, days ago, and then again yesterday when she was arranging the delivery of Miss Fame’s present to the Marie Claire offices, but it had slipped her mind amongst all the other things she had to remember.  

She jumped up and raced into Raja’s suite, a cramp in her side, relieved to find the redhead still at her desk.

“Courtney? Are you okay?” Ivy rose from her seat, a concerned look on her face, ever the empath.

“I just...I forgot…” Courtney tried to catch her breath.

“Okay, take a breath. Whatever it is, it’s fixable. I promise.”

Courtney gulped. “I forgot that I’m supposed to go to this party tonight at the Guggenheim and it’s super fancy and my ride will be here in 40 minutes and I don’t have anything to wear and I don’t even know what the dress code means and I was just wondering if I could borrow something and I promise I’ll have it cleaned and returned by Monday but-”

“Courtney, breathe. Okay?” Ivy took her hand, inhaling deeply and then blowing out dramatically.

Had this job really killed so many of her brain cells that she needed assistance breathing now? Regardless, Courtney followed Ivy’s lead, taking a few deep breaths to slow her racing heart.

“Now,” Ivy began. “What does the dress code say?”

“Creative black tie?”

“Ah. Okay. Follow me.”

Courtney nearly cried with gratitude as Ivy led her into the wardrobe closet.

“Luckily, you’re a sample size, so this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge,” Ivy said. “It’s Bianca Del Rio’s party, right?”

“Yeah,” Courtney said, watching her paw expertly through the racks.

“Are you going for anything in particular?”

“I guess I wanna look…” Courtney racked her brain, unsure of what to say, when the word, “older” slipped from her lips.

Ivy paused, clearly not expecting that answer, and gave Courtney a curious look before nodding.

“I can work with that. Now, Bianca likes bold colors and dramatic silhouettes with clean lines, so I think something like this…” Ivy pulled a stunning, beaded blue cocktail dress out off the rack. “This will look good on you.”

Ivy was truly a gift from god. Not only did they find a dress that fit perfectly (they settled on a short, fire-engine red silk number with a plunging neckline), along with shoes, accessories, and a glamorous faux-fur wrap, but she even stayed to help Courtney with her hair and makeup, giving her a chic updo and dramatic winged liner.

“Ivy, honestly, if you ever need anything. Someone to cover your desk...a kidney...whatever...you know who to ask.”

“Good to know.” Ivy laughed, checking her makeup one more time, adding a little more glimmering highlighter to her cheekbones, and then proclaiming, “Alright, I think you’re done.”

“Thank you so much,” Courtney said again, pulling out her phone. She hadn’t heard from Adore in awhile, and wondered if she was stuck in traffic or something. She seriously hoped that she hadn’t rushed like crazy, inconveniencing Ivy and nearly giving herself an ulcer worrying, just to sit around waiting for an hour.

COURTNEY: ETA?

ADORE: Soon, I think. I’m on my way to Pearl’s, then we’ll pick you up. Do you want a gyro?

COURTNEY: I’M A VEGAN

ADORE: Oh yeah. Gross. I’ll text you when we’re close.

***

“Bianca! Darling!” Fame reached out her arms to pull Bianca in for a tight embrace.  “Happy Birthday!”

She and Patrick had just arrived at the stunning event space a few minutes earlier, and were immediately whisked off to a VIP area with a private bar, where Raja and Raven were already relaxing on sofas, Sutan and Violet standing at the bar chatting with Detox and Jujubee.

It was perfect, removed enough from the chaos of the dance floor, but with a perfect view over the railing. And the speed with which Bianca had arrived to greet her told her that she’s given special instructions for the staff to alert her to Fame’s presence--exactly the kind of preferential treatment that Fame expected.

“Thanks, blondie,” Bianca grinned, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Fame smiled widely, fluttering her lashes. “So do you. I love this dress!”

“Yeah, your tits look great!” Raja chimed in.

Bianca was wearing a sinfully tight black bandage dress, the neckline showing off her breasts and glowing skin, the hem just above her knees, her legs one of Bianca’s best assets.

“You can barely see that you’re turning 40.” Fame grinned, which earned her a pinch from Bianca, the other still keeping her in her arms.

“Shush.”

“Please,” Fame squeezed Bianca’s forearm, “So, tell me the truth, do you like the ring?”

Bianca held up her hand, where it glittered on her index finger.

Yesterday, Fame had had Bianca’s birthday present delivered to her office at the exact time of her birth, 3:57 pm. Fame knew Bianca liked her statement pieces, so she had custom ordered a cocktail ring, but not just any cocktail ring. Instead of the usual single band, a stone in the middle, Fame had gone for a three part twist in gold, sparkling garnets adorning it.

“It’s perfect, I love it,” Bianca said.

“Wonderful!” Fame clasped her hands together. “You’re impossible to shop for.”

“No I’m not! I love stuff,” Bianca countered. “Plus, you know...I’ll never say no to a present that’s unavailable in stores…”

She grinned wickedly, dimples deep, hand drifting down to Fame’s ass. Fame swatted it away with a scolding look.

“Really, Bianca.”

“What, it’s my birthday!” Bianca said. “You gotta give me something.”

“Fine, a tiny something,” Fame laughed, leaning in and giving her a sweet kiss on the lips, then following up with a light smack to her cheek.

“That’s not where I like being spanked,” Bianca said.

“Oh my god, you’re impossible!” Fame exclaimed, breaking away and stepping over to the bar while Bianca laughed gleefully behind her. “Now come on, tell me about your presents.”

***

“And a drink for the lady.” Sutan smiled as he handed Violet a glass, his date taking it with a sweet smile and a thank you, Sutan putting his arm back around her waist as they walked around.

He had picked Violet up at her apartment, his heart almost skipping a beat as she had pushed the double doors open and walked down the steps, her dress of the night absolutely stunning, the back open and taunting with it’s promise of bare impossibly soft skin.

“So,” Sutan rubbed his thumb up and down, gently caressing Violet’s back, “are you having fun?”

Sutan was happy that she was there, enjoyed spending time with her, but as he got to know her more and more, he slowly realized how little she actually enjoyed big crowds.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Sutan bit his lip, hiding a smile at Violet’s quick but short reply.

***

Alaska giggled delightedly, letting Jinkx twirl her on the dance floor. If you’d told Alaska a few years ago that she’d have a friend who she could have this much fun with sober, she’d have laughed in your face. But, even though Jinkx didn’t mind it, Alaska really didn’t enjoy drinking around her. So when they were together, Alaska felt like it was the least she could do to hold off on the booze. What she did enjoy was being with her, sober or not, looking into her sparkling brown eyes as they tripped all over their feet.

“For a Broadway star, you’re really uncoordinated,” Alaska laughed, and Jinkx pretended to be offended, then giggled.

“It’s hard to be mad when you call me a Broadway star.”

“Well, you are!” Alaska said, wrapping her arms around Jinkx’s neck and gazing at her happily. She loved these moments, just the two of them having the time of their lives, dancing and laughing and ignoring every other person in the room. They always had fun, but tonight, Jinkx seemed to have an extra bounce in her step, radiating a kind of joy, and it made Alaska feel so grateful to be around her.

“Thanks Lasky...you’re the best.”

They whirled and stumbled around the dance floor some more, until they were both breathless and needed a break.

“What are we feeling like tonight? Ginger ale? Cranberry and soda?” Alaska asked.

“You choose,” Jinkx said, clinging to her arm.

Alaska ordered a couple of drinks for them and then turned back to Jinkx, who was looking at her with the cutest little dreamy half-smile. She couldn’t help the tingling rush that went down her spine as she lowered her eyes and asked, “So...what’s going on with you tonight?”

“What do you mean?” Jinkx asked, eyes widening innocently.

“I mean...you’re just very...I don’t know...” A smile tugged at Alaska’s lips. “...twinkly tonight.”

“Well...I wasn’t gonna say anything because...it’s kind of silly, but,” she lowered her voice, eyes shining. “I ran into her again. Ivy.”

Alaska felt her whole chest deflate, forcing a smile as Jinkx continued.

“At Zabar’s! It’s like the universe is just conspiring to help us get together, you know?” Jinkx giggled happily.

A lump rose in Alaska’s throat and she nodded, using all her willpower to keep the smile painted across her face. “Oh, wow. That’s...that’s cool. Did you talk?”

“Yes. You’d be so proud of me, I even got her number!”

“Wow. Awesome!” Alaska felt like she was going to throw up, shifting her gaze to the bartender, grateful for the distraction as he slid two ginger ales across the bar. She couldn’t help wishing that half the glass was Jack Daniels. She handed one of them to Jinkx and took her own. It tasted just dust.

“Yeah, but she was still a bit formal, you know? I think I need to see her in a more relaxed setting. Do you think she likes opera? Maybe I can ask her to Madame Butterfly?” Jinkx chattered, away, oblivious to Alaska’s shift in mood.

“You really think the Met is a relaxed setting?”

Jinkx threw back her head and laughed, squeezing Alaska’s arm. “Omigod, you’re right. I’m such a dingbat. What would I do without you, Lasky?”

“I don’t know…” Alaska stirred her drink.

“What do you think she likes?”

“Uh, I’m really not sure,” Alaska said. And it was true. She knew that Ivy was sweet, and professional, and did her job with a kind of calm efficiency. But she didn’t know her very well on a personal level, their professional paths rarely crossing directly.

“Hmm, maybe you can ask around? If that wouldn’t be too weird?” Jinkx looked so hopeful and earnest that Alaska couldn’t help but smile for real in spite of herself, immediately agreeing to help her on this quest to capture Ivy’s heart.

“Of course. I’ll ask around.”

Jinkx sighed happily, leaning on Alaska’s shoulder, eyes falling closed for a moment. “You really are my favorite person, Lask.”

“Back atcha, Jinxky.”

***

Adore walked into Bianca’s party, feeling like a million bucks. Everyone that was anyone and even some who were nothing were there, and Adore knew she looked better than all of them with her purple hair, her pouty red lips, her short black leather dress, fishnets, and best of all… Pearl, the sexiest fucking goddess she’d ever seen in her life at her side.

She hung on Pearl’s arm, enjoying the jealous looks she got; knowing that everyone at the party wanted to be in her place. She even got a nasty look from some models, who were clearly all in love with her girl, but Adore didn’t care.

Pearl was here with her and only her. Pearl glanced at her every few seconds with a smug grin on her face, like the cat that just ate the canary. Well, if the canary was Adore’s pussy. Which would mean the cat was… Well whatever, Adore wasn’t an English scholar. She was in love.

The only thing that sucked was that Courtney looked so fucking miserable. They’d been a little late picking her up, due to getting, well, sidetracked for a while at Pearl’s, and then stopping for food. She thought that Courtney would be a bit more understanding, but she’d barely spoken two words in the car, even Pearl picking up on her obvious anger.

And now, even though she was at the coolest party in Manhattan, she didn’t look happy at all. Adore caught her eye, offering a hopeful smile, but received only a resigned nod in return. She reached out to touch her hand.

“Have I told you how gorgeous you look?” Adore asked, hoping that a compliment and a charming grin would be enough to lighten her mood.

“You think?” Courtney asked, adjusting one of her straps nervously. “I don’t look out of place?”

“Bitch, you put all these other girls to shame,” Adore promised, and was rewarded, finally, with a pleased smile from Courtney.

“Thanks.”

“Pearl!”

Adore looked over at the group of giggling socialites who were approaching them, only slightly annoyed when they swept her girlfriend up. She pouted as Pearl dropped her hand, but smiled again when she doubled back to whisper into her ear, “I’m gonna try and squeeze some gossip out of these hoes, and then I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay, but don’t be too long!” Adore pulled her in, branding her cheek with a dark red kiss before taking Courtney’s arm and sauntering away, pleased with herself. She scanned the party, looking for her sister and finally spotting her holding court near the bar. She cupped her hands over her mouth to shout through the crowd. “Bianca! Happy birthday, you ancient whore!”

*

Bianca turned towards her sister’s voice, barking out, “You’re late!”

“Whaddaya mean, we’re right on time for a grand entrance!” Adore countered, laughing.

“Well-” Bianca stopped, completely losing her train of thought when her eyes landed on Courtney. She was wearing a short red dress, the first time Bianca has seen her in a color other than pastels, and she looked absolutely fucking stunning--legs a mile long, one blonde curl falling into her eyes. Damn.

“You look cute, B. Very boobalicious,” Adore said, giving her a hug. “Not bad for an old lady.”

“Yeah, thank you,” Bianca said, eyes still locked on Courtney. “Hi, Courtney.”

“Hi. Happy birthday,” Courtney said, giving her a sweet smile. “Sorry we’re late.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Bianca told her. “But here, uh...this’ll help you catch up.”

She took a couple of the signature drinks from a passing tray and handed them over. Adore immediately began to suck hers down, but Courtney hesitated.

“Um, what’s in this?”

“Courtney’s afraid of tequila. It makes her messy, right bae?” Adore bumped her hip.

“Something like that.”

“It’s called a Madras. Vodka, orange juice and cranberry. No tequila, but it will fuck you up. Be warned,” Bianca said with a wink.

“Well...cheers,” Courtney said, giving an adorable little laugh.

“Cheers.” Bianca took a sip of her own drink, then leaned in closer. “You look amazing, by the way.”

“Yeah?” Courtney’s eyes shone, her fingers twirling that stray lock of hair.

“Yeah.” Bianca tried unsuccessfully to wipe the stupid grin off her face, and instead broke the tension with, “I’m shocked that someone who’s friends with my sister has such good taste.”

“Hey!” Adore exclaimed.

“Don’t be too impressed. It’s a loaner,” Courtney replied drily, causing Bianca to throw back her head and laugh.

“Fair enough.” She downed the rest of her drink, waving off a couple of acquaintances who were trying to get her attention.

“Be right back,” Adore said, scampering away towards Pearl, of course jumping the second the blonde so much as crooked a little finger.

Courtney reached out for her, but she was already gone. She sighed slightly, looking a little bit dejected, and Bianca cleared her throat.

“So listen, I heard through the grapevine that you’re looking for a way to avoid your, uh, Galactica employers while you’re here?”

Courtney looked up, startled. She seemed shocked that Bianca was still talking to her, and she stammered uncomfortably. “Oh. Yeah, no, I just-”

“Listen, it’s understandable, you wanna have a good time. Can’t do that while your boss is breathing down your neck, right?” Bianca flashed her dimples.

“Well...yeah,” Courtney admitted, laughing a little.

Bianca stepped closer, slipping an arm around her shoulders and lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Fame and Raja are well contained, don’t worry. I made a VIP section since those two need a velvet rope to feel like they’re having a good time.”

Courtney giggled. “Like a rich person playpen?”

“It’s a prison of their own making,” Bianca affirmed,  giving her a wink. “Trust me, they’re looking down on everyone the way they prefer, and they ain’t leaving.”

“Well...thank you.” Courtney bit her lip. It was hard to tell in this light, but it looked like a slight blush had crept into her cheeks, and Bianca found herself even more enamored.

“Anytime.”

A second later, she felt someone tap on her arm: one of the Marie-Claire board members, who she sadly couldn’t ignore.

“Sorry, I have go...do hostess shit,” Bianca said, regret flooding her chest, and Courtney nodded.

“Of course.”

She turned towards the middle-aged man and his young wife, saying her cursory hellos and giving air kisses, making small talk with them both. As soon as she could manage, though, she spared a glance back at Courtney.

The plan, from the moment Adore told her that Courtney was coming, had been to seduce this smoking hot friend of her sister’s. And she figured that the “rough break-up” that Adore’d reported would make it a sure thing. An easy and fun little fling--a birthday present to herself.

But now, something about the wistful, faraway expression on her delicate face as she smoothed down her skirt made her look vulnerable, in a way that gave Bianca pause. As stunning as she was--and fuck, she was an absolute knock-out--it didn’t make Bianca want to seduce her. Instead, it made her want to protect her. Ugh, why did her fucking conscience have rear its ugly head tonight, on her birthday of all nights?

“Thank you so much. Be sure to check out the raw bar!” she said, finally escaping and ready to head back to Courtney--but Adore beat her to it.

She watched as her sister came bounding up, Pearl in tow, and grabbed Courtney’s hands to pull her onto the dance floor.

Well, good. She should have a good time. Lord knows, anyone who worked for Fame deserved to blow off some steam. Bianca snatched another drink from a passing tray, trying to redirect her attention to the Welsh model who’d been giving her bedroom eyes all night.

***

Violet was having a surprisingly good time, taking small sips of her champagne. She had hurried home from work, almost ready when Sutan had texted that he was downstairs, the smile on Sutan’s face when he had seen her dress almost, almost, almost worth it’s price tag.

She had never been to an event of this size without having to worry if catering ran out of ice, or if she’d need to get taxis for whoever got way too drunk. It was nice to just stand by Sutan’s side, nice to be allowed to just be, without having to entertain or constantly think about everything that could go wrong.

“Ah, yes, of course.” Sutan smiled, his thumb rubbing up and down the small of Violet’s back. He was talking to one of the models from Elite, Violet vaguely recognizing her from some of the headshots she had presented to Fame for the fall collection. “I’ll be sure to tell Marcel about that.”

“Excuse me,” Violet turned, her eyes falling on a man with a camera, the card around his neck instantly telling her that he was from OK! magazine. “I was wondering if I could take a few pictures?”

“Oh,” Violet didn’t know what to do, her stomach instantly tightening.

“Sure,” Sutan grinned, turning towards the camera. “Right girls?”

“I-” Violet didn’t want to be in the picture, didn’t want someone she didn’t know documenting where she was, didn’t want to risk it ending up online. “I don’t-”

“Oh of course,” Sutan took her glass, handing it off to someone. “There we go.”

“Sutan”

“Come here,” Sutan put an arm around the model, posing both of them.

“Please-” Violet could feel Sutan’s hand on her hip, holding her tight, keeping her trapped, her throat closing up.

“Should we smile?”

“No,” The photographer looked out from behind his camera, “just be natural.”

Violet pushed away, forcing Sutan to let her go as the camera went off. She didn’t hear Sutan say her name, a quick flicker of a question on his face, didn’t see him smile apologetically to the photographer and pose with the model, didn’t notice any of it as she made her way outside, escaping the only thing she could think of.

***

Juju strolled through the crowd with Raven. She appreciated the whole VIP setup as much as anyone, but this was a massive party, and they’d decided to come spend a little time where the action was, maybe dance a bit -at least as much as her poor pregnant body would allow. They were stopped by a group of models, Raven proudly showing off her engagement ring and letting the other girls fawn all over her.

Juju put up with the schmoozing for a couple of minutes--after all, those girls were potential clients, until she spotted Bianca nearby and politely excused herself from the group, knowing that Raven would be perfectly content with her little fan club.

Bianca was chatting up some sweet young thing (typical), and Juju couldn’t resist messing with her a little. She wrapped her arms around Bianca’s waist from behind, asking in a low, husky voice, “Tell me I’m your favorite, Daddy.”

It was a joke between the two of them, something that had started years ago when Juju and Detox were first dating. They’d shown up at brunch one morning in the middle of a heated argument about whether it was appropriate for her to call him “Daddy” during sex--ironically, only a few months before she got preganant with their first child. It wasn’t a kink thing, exactly, it was just that she thought it was funny, and especially so when she saw his freaked out reaction. The group agreed that right or wrong, if it bothered him then she probably shouldn’t say it. But Bianca, ever the good sport, had pulled the smaller woman into her lap and declared that if she really needed to call someone Daddy, she was ‘willing to take one for the team.’

Juju accompanied her breathy greeting by biting gently on Bianca’s ear, adding, “Pwease?”

Bianca burst out laughing, pulling her close and introducing her to a very confused looking girl. “Tayce, you must know my friend Juju Sanderson. The brilliant hairstylist who owns Jujubee’s downtown?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s an honor!” Tayce said, her brown eyes lighting up as a dazzling smile spread across her face. “I’ve been trying to get an appointment with you, but you’re booked up for months!”

Juju had to bite back her laugh when she heard Tayce speak--Bianca always was a sucker for an accent.

“Well, play your luck with Daddy here, and you might jump the queue,” Juju said with a wink.

“Among other benefits,” Bianca cackled. “You know you’re the only one who I’d let get away with that Daddy shit, right?”

“Yes, thank you. You’re a lot more fun than my husband.”

“In so many ways,” Bianca said, turning to Tayce and giving her a playful smirk.

***

Violet took a deep breath, letting it out through her teeth as she could finally feel her heart slow down, though the knot in her stomach wasn’t going away.

She knew she couldn’t help it, but it was impossible not to feel an inkling of shame travel up her spine, the feeling that she was being ridiculous impossible to push down.

Sutan hadn’t meant anything by it, taking photos a part of his life, being in the public eye something that simply came natural for him.

Violet took a last breath, pushing away from the wall she had been leaning against to go back to the party, hoping that Sutan hadn’t noticed how strange she was acting.

It wasn’t that Violet liked acting this way, that she wanted to feel the panic rising in her body whenever she saw a camera in a stranger's hand, but she couldn’t help it.

She was an adult now, she had her own life, her own money and even her own job and her own apartment, but it was hard not to hide, impossible not to react to the instinctive fear that welled up in her at the risk of being found.

Violet walked back inside, the noise and the amount of people feeling so much more overwhelming when she wasn’t at Sutan’s side. She made her way through the crowd, easily spotting both Fame and Pearl, avoiding both of them.

She was starting to think Sutan had left, Raja nowhere to be found either, when she saw him sitting at a table, surrounded by models. He was laughing loudly, his arm around one of the girls, several of the models’ phones taking pictures of everything that was happening.

Violet’s stomach did a flip, the panic from earlier rushing through her body. She couldn’t go over there, couldn’t be a part of that part of Sutan’s world, so instead, Violet did what she always did.

Turned around, and walked away.

***

[Raja?] Sutan put a hand on Raja’s hip, turning her around. Sutan had been sitting with a group of models, doing shots and having fun right up until one of them had touched his legs under the table, and he had abandoned ship instantly.

[Have you seen Violet?]

He hadn’t seen her in over an hour, and while Sutan was more than sure that Violet could take care of herself, he had started to worry.

[Sutan!] Raja grinned, stepping into his space, looping her arms around his neck. [Hello brother dear.]

[Hello.] Sutan smiled, once again reminded of how much he truly loved Raja. She was tipsy, her eyes swimming slightly, which was probably why she hadn’t responded to his question. [Have you seen Violet?]

[Violet?] Raja tilted her head, her hand fiddling with the hairs at the nape of his neck. [No?]

[Shit.] Sutan bit his lip, his hands resting on Raja’s hips.

[Maybe she just left?] Raja smiled, running her fingers through his hair. [There’s no need to worry.]

[Maybe...]

[She can handle herself.]

[Mmmh.] Sutan knew that Raja was probably right, but it still felt weird that VIolet hadn’t said goodbye, and if he was honest, he was disappointed that they wouldn’t be going home together at the end of the night. [I’ll send her a text.]

Sutan was just about to reach into his pocket, was just about to get his phone out, when he saw a photographer to his left, just outside the VIP section. The paparazzi always loved to get photos of him and Raja together, and while he was sure Raja hadn’t noticed, he made sure to twist her slightly to the left, getting her good side as he smiled at the camera.

***

“Every guy here is drooling over you, bae,” Adore giggled, spinning Courtney on the dance floor before accepting another drink from Pearl.

“Not just the guys,” Pearl added with a wink.

Courtney laughed. In spite of her hesitation in tagging along, she’d been having a pretty good time. The attention was fun, of course, but Courtney’d barely noticed the alleged guys drooling over her. She couldn’t help thinking about the way she’d felt when Bianca put that arm around her, the way her brown eyes had sparkled in the dim light. The way goosebumps prickled her skin as Bianca’s fingers grazed her shoulder.

Her gaze kept being pulled in Bianca’s direction. Eyes drifting over her enticing curves in that tight dress. And occasionally, to her absolute thrill, Bianca would be looking back at her. Every time their eyes met, her stomach flipped around like crazy.

It was silly, she knew that. She knew that Bianca was only being nice to her because she was Adore’s friend. A nice kid. That it didn’t mean anything deep. This was, after all, a woman who dated supermodels and Oscar winners. Like the gorgeous girl by her side most of the evening, who had a face that Courtney instantly recognized from last month’s British Vogue cover.

Still.

The reality of the situation didn’t stop her from pretending, even just to herself, even just for the night, that maybe there was something there, that warranted all these confusing feelings swirling around inside her like a tornado.

And later, when they were saying goodbye, she allowed herself to enjoy the way Bianca’s palm pressed to the small of her back. She even let her lips linger for a few moments on Bianca’s warm cheek, kissing her goodnight.

***

SUTAN: Did you leave?

[MISSED CALL]

SUTAN: The party is still going.

SUTAN: Did you get home safe?

[MISSED CALL]

SUTAN: I can’t find you.

[MISSED CALL]

SUTAN: Violet??

VIOLET: I’m fine.

#rpdr fanfiction #thedane #veronica #galactica #vitan #bitney #jalaska #jivy #adore x pearl #courtney act #ivy winters #adore delano #miss fame #bianca del rio #raja gemini #violet chachki #alaska thunderfuck #jinkx monsoon #pearl liaison #jujubee #lesbian au #m/f au #fashion au

[gibelwho]

Marathon #1: The Western Finale and Awards

My train to the Old West has returned to its station and therefore it is time to consider all the films screened in Gibelwho Production’s Western Marathon. Taking guidance from Filmspotting’s inaugural marathon, I watched 8 films in the Western genre, with production dates spanning 30 years, each with a unique representation of frontier life, good and evil, stunning landscapes, and the men and women who inhabit the Western tales. Each film has its own recap and review on this site, but when placed in contrast to each other, the narrative of a shifting genre emerges, reflecting the changes in society that are then mirrored in the depictions of the Old West. Here are the list of the films:

High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)

The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)

Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)

My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946)

Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)

A Fistful of Dollars (Sergio Leone, 1964)

Winchester ‘73 (Anthony Mann, 1950)

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)

As noted in my introduction post, the Western genre was not my favorite of the Hollywood Studio System - I’ve never fully connected to this classic American genre, so I was a bit apprehensive about starting this journey, but still determined to keep an open mind for the variety of films included in the scope. The Marathon certainly expanded my horizons - I had only seen two of the eight films (Stagecoach and High Noon) in film school, so most of the material was seen with fresh eyes. I knew the basics of the genre, but was ready to explore the themes in a deeper way with some classic examples from the genre’s biggest stars and directors.

One prominent troupe of the Western genre is the lone man standing up to forces bigger than himself, which held true for most of the films in this Marathon. High Noon leans into this idea in the extreme - where no one in the town will lift a hand to help Gary Cooper defend against the criminals returning to seek revenge. John Wayne - the signature figure of the entire Western genre - took offense to this portrayal of a weak and friendless sheriff and so teamed up with Howard Hawks to film Rio Bravo, crafting a movie about a sheriff devoted to his public office and surrounded by capable compatriots. Clint Eastwood, the man who took the mantle of the Western lone man icon from John Wayne in his Dollars trilogy, starting with A Fistful of Dollars, has neither integrity nor a sense of duty - but is simply out to make as much money as he can selling his services.

Despite their lone man status, the protagonists of the Western are always surrounded by men and women that round out the film’s supporting cast. The portrayal of women in particular was uneven throughout the eight films; most of the actresses infused their characters with a spirit necessary in order to live in the frontier towns, but the actresses were also dealing with scripts that were not always sophisticated or enlightened. A woman's place in society often was divided into parlor women, such as Chihuahua in My Darling Clementine or Dallas in Stagecoach, or sophisticated women from the East blessing their presence in the wild West, such as Clementine or Lucy from the same films. Helen Ramirez, the business woman and former lover of the town’s sheriff in High Noon, and the matriarch of the Baxter family from A Fistful of Dollars are perhaps the only women in the Marathon’s films that truly have agency over their lives, but even they are punished for that distinction, with Helen leaving town after selling her business and Mrs. Baxter losing her life during the Rojo’s attack. And within The Wild Bunch - there are literally no women of consequence who are even featured in the film. Depending on the decade of the film’s creation and the effort put in by the screenplay, there is a mixed bag when it comes to women’s representation in the Western genre.

The theme that does have consistency across all the films is the treatment of Native Americans - and when viewed through a modern lens, it is extremely lacking in equitable representation. Across all of these films, when Indians are presented on screen - they are always the enemy, their motivations or points of view are never considered or explored, and they are always presented as an Other. In Stagecoach and Winchester ‘73, roving bands of Native Americans are presented as the main threats to the white characters - and in the latter film, typical Hollywood institutional racism is on display as white man Rock Hudson is cast as an indigenous person. The Searchers is the most flagrant, also casting a white man as the tribal chief Scar, and its script is based on an assumed racist conception that a white woman is tainted (and even decayed to the point of hysterical mental illness) once exposed to a native tribe. Mexican and Mexican Americans are given slightly better treatment, oftentimes portrayed as allies, whether as saloon and hotel owners or even as part of the posse. In The Wild Bunch, the gang of rogues consider Angel a part of the team and even attempt an ultimately unsuccessful rescue from the Mexican military. People of color are not, however, the center of the tale, but always as side characters in service of the white protagonists.

Two sub-themes also cropped up in several of the films, the first of which deals with a prominent event in American history. Although these films were released within a 30-year period between 1939 and 1969 - their settings ranged from the 1860s to the 1880s (with The Wild Bunch as the odd film out, set in 1913); this put their narratives within a few decades of the Civil War, and while none of the films deal with this as a prominent plot point, the national war is part of the characters history and therefore affects the men’s interactions in the Wild West - where any man could have fought on either side of the war. In Winchester ‘73, Lin and his friend High-Spade join the US Cavalry in a fight against the Indians and as they part ways - the duo admit to the US Sergeant that they fought against each other during the Battle of Bull Run. The men shake hands and part as chums, apparently having moved past what they consider a brother vs brother fight. More contentious is the handling of the war in Stagecoach, where the traveling band bicker about the North vs South struggle - some refer to the South as the “Southern Confederacy” and others clap back that it was a “rebellion.” In keeping with the underlying point of view of white men prominent in the genre, neither of these scripts describe the war’s central fight as around America’s original sin of slavery. 

Another sub-theme deals with the very real struggle of alcoholism amongst the backdrop of the frontier, where saloons are primary social settings and the alcohol flows freely. In Stagecoach, Doc Boone’s large consumption of alcohol is treated as a humorous character quirk during the first half, but when Lucy’s pregnancy demands a premature delivery, his constant inebriation becomes a serious threat to her and the baby’s life. In My Darling Clementine, Doc Holliday’s battle with tuberculosis is made worse by drinking alcohol, definitely whiskey and even the champagne that he orders as an alternative, yet he continues to drink throughout the film. Dean Martin’s stellar performance in Rio Bravo took on a newly sober man’s temptation of falling back into the bottle, bravely showing the devastating effects of battling the disease, but also how a community of support is immensely helpful for pushing through.

Spanning 30 years, the films included in this Marathon chart the shifting narratives within the Western, with the first few decades adhering to the original genre tropes, and the films in the last decade beginning to subvert those conventions as the societal conditions had shifted as well. The films from the early decades - Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Winchester ‘73 (1950), High Noon (1952), The Searchers (1956), and Rio Bravo (1960) - for the most part adhere to the genre conventions established by the Hollywood Studio System, including the frontier setting, a lone man sheriff fighting against monumental forces, a white-centric perspective of civilization creeping into the wilderness, and a black and white moral code featuring clear cut villains. But as the years progressed into the 1960s and global culture changed, so too did the Western genre, with A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and The Wild Bunch (1969) demonstrating those changes in this Marathon. Featuring protagonists with a blurred moral code that didn’t fall neatly into the traditional ideal sheriff hero, as well as much more overt and excessive displays of violence, these films pushed the boundaries of Western narratives and forged new visual iconography, such as Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name’s hat and poncho from the Dollars trilogy. Looking beyond the scope of this Marathon, the shifting conventions have only become more prominent as the years followed the 1960s, with Westerns increasingly focused on previously marginalized voices of women and persons of color, more fully exploring the grey morality of life on the frontier, and pushing the sequences of violence to even more extremes.

And now - time for the Awards! The following categories were considered across the eight films screened:

Actor

Actress

Supporting

Screenplay

Song/Score

Direction

Best Picture

Actor:

Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name in A Fistful of Dollars

Departing from the early Western genre conventions, Eastwood plays The Man With No Name as an anti-hero, an intelligent stranger that devilishly plays the two rival gangs against each other, but also reunites a family and saves his only friend in the town. As the role that provided his breakout stardom, Eastwood is the epitome of cool - calm, confident, devious, and the fastest draw in town. The shoddy ADR slightly detracts from his performance, but otherwise, it is clear why he stole the mantle from John Wayne as the Western star for the more modern age. 

Honorable Mentions:

John Wayne as Ringo Kid in Stagecoach - Wayne in his breakout role is fresh-faced, earnest, and innocently in love with Dallas, the prostitute with a heart of gold. John Ford had to fight for Wayne to be cast in this film, and his determination was rewarded by Wayne’s standout performance amongst a strong ensemble cast. He infuses Ringo Kid with a breezy and bemused attitude, floating above all the petty grievances within the stagecoach’s occupants, and instead forges a genuine connection with Dallas. 

Gary Cooper as Will Kane in High Noon - Cooper is a man driven by the undeniable fact that his old enemy will not rest until he seeks revenge and his slow realization that he will face the fight alone - without help from the town nor his wife. His performance is a compelling portrait of restrained fear and solid determination, all playing out on Cooper’s stolid face.

Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine - Fonda brings sophistication to his performance, balancing a desire for revenge, nervous flirtation with Clementine, and believable sheriff skills. He also leans in to the emotion of the cattleman turned sheriff living on the frontier - subtle and heartfelt when speaking at his brother’s grave.

Actress:

Katy Jurado as Helen Ramirez in High Noon

With a fierce and stellar portrayal of a powerful woman of color in a frontier town, Jurado defies the usual boundaries of both her character’s Western world and also the Hollywood Studio System in which she filmed the movie in 1952. Not only providing a contrast to Grace Kelly’s subdued sheriff’s wife, she holds her own against her white deputy boyfriend, her white business partner where she is a silent investor, and also to her old lover - the white sheriff who is standing alone to defend his town and his life. The screenplay gives Jurado the space to create a character that has depth and her performance matches that opportunity - she is electrifying and an inspiring visage of an independent woman of color onscreen - a rare sight for a Classical Hollywood film.

Honorable Mentions:

Angie Dickinson as Feathers in Rio Bravo - Given the difficult job to inexplicably and quickly fall in love with an aging and stilted John Wayne and also to make unreasonable decisions like staying in town despite the danger to him and any of his associates, Dickinson delivers a remarkable performance. Despite a fleshed out character, Dickinson as Feathers is subtle, cool, calm, feisty, and strong. She refuses to be taken by stereotype, visibly delights in the sheriff’s uncomfortable reactions to her flirtations, and commands every scene with Wayne.

Shelley Winters as Lola Manners in Winchester ‘73 - In a film that doesn’t focus on a set of main characters, but follows the journey of a rifle through the West, Winters does get a majority of screen time; unfortunately, she spends most of that time being passed around between inadequate men. She makes up for that by maintaining a certain level of sass, delivered as snappy comments, but she also finds space for emotional and subtle moments with James Stewart. 

Supporting Actor/Actress:

Dean Martin as Dude in Rio Bravo

Playing against his star persona (a charming and suave crooner from the Rat Pack), Martin is almost unrecognizable as a man going through alcohol withdrawal, attempting to stay sober and also prove his worth to the sheriff, his posse, and himself. Martin is so vulnerable here, especially the scenes where he is struggling with drinking, but he is believable as a gun-slinger and also shows off his incredibly beautiful and smooth vocals. 

Honorable Mentions:

Victor Mature as Doc Holliday in My Darling Clementine - Almost claiming the top spot here, Mature delivers a masterful performance, capturing the drama of a man filled with regret and bitterness. His face has a modern quality to it that stands out in the Western setting, but he employs it well, radiating so much emotional heft with just his eyes alone. 

Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone in Stagecoach - The Doctor starts out as the comedian of the stagecoach’s ensemble, constantly finding ways to drink the whiskey salesman's wares, and playing a drunk quite convincingly (oftentimes hard to do onscreen). Halfway through the film, however, Mitchell must turn his performance towards drama and emotion, sobering up to deliver a baby. He plays all shades of this character so well and won an Oscar for Supporting Actor for his efforts.

Screenplay:

Dudley Nichols for Stagecoach

From top to bottom, the screenplay for Stagecoach is a master class in plotting, dialogue, and assembling a compelling ensemble cast. The opening scenes provide a clinic in setting up all the individual stories for the characters who join the stagecoach, which feeds into their conflicts, as well as the danger looming over their journey. Ensemble pieces can be tricky to write, but Nichols infuses just the right balance between all characters, giving them each individual moments to shine, as well as natural conflicts that elicit revealing conversations within the coach and at their various stops. Despite its age, the script is teeming with life, is incredibly funny (clearly aided by some stellar performances), and even makes interesting choices around the action scenes - building up the tension to the final shootout, but not showing it onscreen. This is a fantastic screenplay that laid the foundation for a classic movie. 

Honorable Mentions:

Carl Foreman for High Noon: This film is known for its commitment to time, setting a deadline for the villains arrival and constantly reminding the viewer of the impending crisis. This creates a slow burn towards the action, but the film doesn’t rush towards the climax; rather, it focuses on moments between characters and specifically explores their various motivations. The church scene is perfected down to the details, showing how men’s minds can be swayed by emotional speeches (one delivered by Thomas Mitchell, with another fantastic performance). The script is like an onion, with each layer moving the plot forward and revealing more of the character’s emotional journey. 

Various Credits for A Fistful of Dollars - While the dialogue for this film does not particularly stand out, it is an honorable mention due to the structure and ingenuity of the plotting. The Man With No Name is incredibly intelligent and this is demonstrated by all the machinations of his playing the two gangs against each other. A story based on the Japanese film Yojimbo, this film has 5 writers credited on IMDB for the story and screenplay, but does not feel disjointed at all; rather, one is taken in by the clever tricks the gun-slinger does to outwit and take down the Rojos and the Baxters.

Song/Score:

Ennio Morricone for A Fistful of Dollars

This category has a clear winner with Morricone’s score - it is creative, daring (flutes in a Western?!), and incredibly engaging, uniting sound with image effectively. Working on a tight budget, Morricone’s restrictions generated a burst of creativity, crafting a tapestry of sounds that came to define the Dollars trilogy and heralded a new blueprint for the sounds of modern Western movies.

Honorable Mentions: 

Max Steiner for The Searchers - I have known the main title music since before this Marathon, as it is included on the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra’s compilation of film scores, an album often in my rotation. Steiner’s music alternates between bold statements and lingering wanderlust, crafting a variety of shapes to match the various landscapes that Ethan and Martin travel through during their years of searching.

Jerry Fielding for The Wild Bunch - As the most recent film produced in the Marathon, the soundtrack feels the most modern of the selections. Fielding crafted a body of music that varies from faux patriotic snare drums in the opening sequence, to soft and romantic sides for the team’s down beat moments, to a high adventure score for the train robbery.

Direction:

Sergio Leone for A Fistful of Dollars

While it almost seems sacrosanct to not give John Ford the award, as he is basically the father of the Western, Leone's stretching of the genre in new directions in the spaghetti Western style is too good not to recognize. Leone’s shot composition (utilizing rules of thirds, depth of field and multiple planes, using buildings as framing devices, etc) is a more sophisticated filmmaking than the straightforward shots in the classic Westerns of this Marathon. Not to mention, his direction of the actors is stellar, especially working with Eastwood to define a new visage for the Western anti-hero. For all his fantastic work, the film is not flawless; the ADR sound and some confusing day/night scenes show cracks in the armor, but don’t take away from this masterpiece of vision and storytelling.

Honorable Mention:

John Ford for The Searchers - Despite my loathing for the blatant racism of the screenplay and stilted acting of John Wayne - the distinguished direction of Ford must be acknowledged; there is a reason why this film is considered a classic. The contrast between indoor and outdoor spaces to reflect civilization vs the wilderness and the types of people that inhabit each is conveyed simply through blocking and framing. Additionally, the Monument Valley that Ford was famous for shooting was never captured so beautifully in all of its various seasons. The film must be admired for Ford’s talent, despite its other challenging facets.

Best Picture:

Stagecoach

Despite the age of this film, it feels incredibly fresh and yet timeless. I’ve already touched on the excellent (and funny!) screenplay, Wayne’s star-making turn as Ringo Kid, and the wonderful ensemble cast (especially Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone and also Andy Devine as Buck the stagecoach driver), but Ford’s direction must be credited as well; he skillfully navigates the cramped space of the stagecoach, reveals character work through blocking in the interior spaces, and films the Monument Valley for the first time in his career. And the film’s climactic action sequence is breathtaking and full of fantastic stunt work! Of course, the portrayal of Native Americans as a looming threat is problematic and is representative of the society and time period in which the film was made, but otherwise Stagecoach deserves its reputation as a classic Western and was the best of the films screened in this Marathon.

Honorable Mentions:

A Fistful of Dollars - After screening many classic Westerns in this Marathon, Leone’s film felt like a leap forward in terms of story, tone, and visual style. I’ve already praised Eastwood’s performance, the screenplay, Leone’s direction, and the incredible score by Morricone for these awards - and the final shootout is a good encapsulation of all these elements coming together. Visually stunning, with a subtle selection of background music from Morricone, featuring a grizzled Eastwood, and a surprise twist in the plot - it was making a statement that a new type of Western had arrived on the scene.

High Noon - This is such a meticulous film, revealing new layers with each scene, keeping viewers aware of the time structure, and carefully detailing the motivations of each character and archetype. As the antithetical film to Rio Bravo, the more emotional and lighthearted movie, High Noon is entirely serious, a tone driven by Gary Cooper’s performance of the slow realization of his fate - that he will be fighting alone for a town that he had defended his entire career. The film is essentially a series of character moments with a slow burn towards the final action scene that is both thrilling and realistic - a well put together Western film.

This Marathon was clearly a small slice of selections within an incredibly vast canon of films from a genre that is foundational to film history. Along the way, I have noted films that are related to the movies within the Marathon and hope to follow up on screening them in the future, to keep my education in this genre continuing. Homework from A Fistful of Dollars are to finish the Dollars trilogy - For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), watch Leone’s ultimate masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), and also to view Eastwood’s directorial take on the Western with Unforgiven (1992). Films in the same orbit as My Darling Clementine that deal with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the famous shootout include Tombstone (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), and Gunfight at the Ok Corral (1957). AFI’s Top 10 Westerns include several that were not in this Marathon, including Shane (1953), Red River (1948), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), and Cat Ballou (1965). And finally, some Western films took their plots from Japanese films, so watching the source material such as Yojimbo (1961) or Seven Samurai (1954), which served as the basis for The Magnificent Seven (1960). Even these selections are just scratching the surface of this expansive genre. 

So, after consideration of all the films screened in this Marathon, a deeper dive into the themes and manifestations of the Western genre - did my less than enthusiastic opinion change? While my appreciation for the breadth and depth of the genre’s films grew, this experience also helped further clarify my underwhelming feeling about the genre. As the setting is deeply rooted in the American West and the expansion of eastern “civilized” culture into the natural wilderness, this genre’s underlying theme has racist roots at its core - the thought that Native Americans and Mexicans must be cast aside for the white man (yes, man - as women are often placed in stereotyped roles as well) to become dominant. The different variations on this theme can be made into entertaining cinema, but I can’t help but feel uncomfortable with the underlying narrative of the entire genre. This Marathon only covered a 30 year timespan, from Classical Hollywood to just the beginning of the New Hollywood era, and as the years continued to progress and society developed more acceptance of telling stories with an expanded POV, different variations on the Westerns have been produced; in addition to the films I have noted above, I would like to dive into the more modern and revisionist Westerns, ones such as The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) and Woman Walks Ahead (2017) that tell the tales of the Old West from the women and native perspective.

Despite my trepidation of this Marathon’s topic, I did enjoy diving deeper into the genre and learning more about the Western’s shifting conventions. The next Marathon topic that Filmspotting took on has me a bit more anxious - as it is diving into the Horror genre. I typically avoid scary movies, so I will need to gather all my emotional fortitude to take on this next Marathon. We are transitioning from the gunfight in the center of town to the stalking of innocent victims at night. For now, adios amigos!

#High Noon #The Searchers #stagecoach #my darling clementine #rio bravo #a fistful of dollars #winchester 73 #the wild bunch #john ford #john wayne

[newstfionline]

Headlines

‘Sobering’ report shows hardening attitudes against media (AP) The distrust many Americans feel toward the news media, caught up like much of the nation’s problems in the partisan divide, only seems to be getting worse. That was the conclusion of a “sobering” study of attitudes toward the press conducted by Knight Foundation and Gallup and released Tuesday. Nearly half of all Americans describe the news media as “very biased,” the survey found. “That’s a bad thing for democracy,” said John Sands, director of learning and impact at the Knight Foundation. “Our concern is that when half of Americans have some sort of doubt about the veracity of the news they consume, it’s going to be impossible for our democracy to function.” The study was conducted before the coronavirus lockdown and nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. The study found that 71% of Republicans have a “very” or “somewhat” unfavorable opinion of the news media, while 22% of Democrats feel the same way. Switch it around, and 54% of Democrats have a very favorable view of the media, and only 13% of Republicans feel the same way. Eight percent of respondents—the preponderance of them politically conservative—think that news media that they distrust are trying to ruin the country.

Deaths pile up on Texas border (AP) RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas—When labor pains signaled that Clarissa Muñoz was at last going to be a mom, she jumped in a car and headed two hours down the Texas border into one of the nation’s most dire coronavirus hot spots. She went first to a hospital so desperate for help that nurses recently made 49 phone calls to find a bed 700 miles away to airlift a dying man with the virus. From there, she was taken to a bigger hospital by ambulance. Along the way, she passed a funeral home that typically handles 10 services a month but is up to nine a week. And when she finally arrived to give birth, she was blindsided by another complication: A test revealed that she too was infected. Hours later, Muñoz was granted just a few seconds to lay eyes, but no hands, on her first born, who was quickly whisked away. On America’s southern doorstep, the Rio Grande Valley, the U.S. failure to contain the pandemic has been laid bare. For nearly a month, this borderland of 2 million people in South Texas pleaded for a field hospital, but not until Tuesday was one ready and accepting patients. In July alone, Hidalgo County reported more than 600 deaths—more than the Houston area, which is five times larger.

Former Spanish king heading for the hills (Foreign Policy) Controversy continues to grip Spain after former King Juan Carlos, who abdicated the throne in 2014 amid a series of scandals, reportedly fled the country amid a new spate of legal troubles. Spanish media initially reported that he went to the Dominican Republic, but the Dominican government claimed there was no record of the former king entering the country, fuelling widespread speculation over his whereabouts. Leftist politicians have used the occasion to question the future of the monarchy in Spain. Juan Carlos is credited with spearheading Spain’s transition to democracy after the end of former dictator Francisco Franco’s reign in 1975. But his reputation took a hit toward the end of his rule as he became embroiled in several controversies relating to his personal wealth.

Spain’s Canaries to cover all COVID-related costs for tourists (Reuters) All Spanish and foreign tourists visiting the Canary Islands will have any potential coronavirus-related costs covered by the regional government, it said on Wednesday, in an attempt to rescue the tourist season after a new spike in infections in Spain. The move will take effect this week and is the first of its kind in Spain as the tourism-dependent nation seeks to reassure visitors after Britain dealt a blow to the sector by imposing a compulsory quarantine for anyone coming from Spain.

China won’t go quietly over TikTok (Foreign Policy) Chinese media outlets have responded to the United States in the ongoing dispute over the popular Chinese social networking giant TikTok, leveling sharp criticism at the Trump administration over its recent attempt to pressure U.S. companies to buy TikTok’s operations in the United States. In an editorial on Tuesday, the China Daily newspaper accused Washington of “bullying” Chinese tech companies and warned that there were “plenty of ways to respond if the administration carries out its planned smash and grab.” The editor-in-chief of the Global Times newspaper called the move “open robbery,” and accused Trump of “turning the once great America into a rogue country.”

Chinese summer leadership vacation (Foreign Policy) Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders are likely to vanish from public view in the next few days for the annual retreat at Beidaihe, a seaside town where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership engages in a combination of vacation and Machiavellian plotting. The retreat has often provided a chance for retired leaders to shape the party’s direction, but with Xi’s seeming ascent to absolute power, their role has been reduced. But any opportunity for a significant number of power brokers to physically spend time together is also an opportunity to plot. If the whispers of discontent with Xi’s leadership ever coalesce into action, it will be after one such event.

U.S. health chief to be highest-ranking official in decades to visit Taiwan, angering China (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar will visit Taiwan in coming days, his office said on Tuesday, making the highest-level visit by a U.S. official in four decades—a move that angered China, which claims the island as its own. Azar’s visit will worsen already poor Beijing-Washington relations, inflamed over trade, the pandemic and human rights, even as democratic Taiwan has welcomed the show of support in the face of unrelenting Chinese pressure. China denounced the trip, saying it opposed any official interactions between the United States and Taiwan and had lodged “stern representations” with Washington.

What Lockdown 2.0 Looks Like: Harsher Rules, Deeper Confusion (NYT) Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, is grappling with a spiraling coronavirus outbreak that has led to a lockdown with some of the toughest restrictions in the world—offering a preview of what many urban dwellers elsewhere could confront in coming weeks and months. The new lockdown is the product of early success; the country thought it had the virus beat in June. But there was a breakdown in the quarantine program for hotels. Returning travelers passed the virus to hotel security guards in Melbourne, who carried the contagion home. Even after masks became mandatory in the city two weeks ago, the spread continued. And now, as officials try to break the chain of infections, Melbourne is being reshaped by sweeping enforcement and fine print. A confounding matrix of hefty fines for disobedience to the lockdown and minor exceptions for everything from romantic partners to home building has led to silenced streets and endless versions of the question: So, wait, can I ____? Restaurant owners are wondering about food delivery after an 8 p.m. curfew began on Sunday night. Teenagers are asking if their boyfriends and girlfriends count as essential partners. Can animal shelter volunteers walk dogs at night? Are house cleaners essential for those struggling with their mental health? Can people who have been tested exercise outside?

Beirut reels from huge blast as death toll climbs to at least 135 (Reuters) Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing in the wreckage of buildings on Wednesday as investigations blamed negligence for a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135. More than 5,000 people were injured in Tuesday’s explosion at Beirut port, Health Minister Hamad Hassan said, and up to 250,000 were left without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades, sucked furniture out into streets and shattered windows miles inland. The death toll was expected to rise from the blast, which officials blamed on a huge stockpile of highly explosive material stored for years in unsafe conditions at the port.

Fireworks, ammonium nitrate likely fueled Beirut explosion (AP) Fireworks and ammonium nitrate appear to have been the fuel that ignited a massive explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, experts and videos of the blast suggest. The scale of the damage—from the epicenter of the explosion at the port of Beirut to the windows blown out kilometers (miles) away—resembles other blasts involving the chemical compound commonly used as an agricultural fertilizer. But the compound itself typically doesn’t detonate on its own and requires another ignition source. That likely came from a fire that engulfed what initially appeared to be fireworks that were stored at the port. Online videos of the disaster’s initial moments show sparks and lights inside the smoke rising from the blaze, just prior to the massive blast. That likely indicates that fireworks were involved, said Boaz Hayoun, owner of the Tamar Group, an Israeli firm that works closely with the Israeli government on safety and certification issues involving explosives.

Uganda’s tough approach curbs COVID, even as Africa nears 1 million cases (Reuters) Uganda’s crumbling public hospitals, doctors’ strikes and corruption scandals make its success in the fight against the new coronavirus all the more unlikely. But the nation of 42 million people has recorded just over 1,200 cases and five deaths since March, a strikingly low total for such a large country. As the number of cases in Africa approaches one million, Uganda’s experience shows what can be accomplished when a government with a firm grip on power acts quickly and enforces a strict lockdown. But its success came at a cost, critics say. Jobs were lost, and economic growth is set to plunge to as low as 0.4% in 2020, from 5.6% last year, according to the World Bank.

#headlines #news

[rpchive]

Ninety Sixth Encounter-- Knowledge and Power

this is the 0 to 60 rhianna warned you about

The door to Daedalus' room swings open and the man himself casually steps out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. He rolls his neck and shoulders around a couple of times to stretch them out and lets out a small groan. Sliding his sunglasses back over his eyes, Daedalus makes his way down the hall while stretching his arms out in front of himself. He passes through the console room and steps inside the kitchen, glancing around for something as he scratches the back of his head. Though it's not even noon, Maya is already drinking what is presumably her second bottle of some type of alcohol. There's no visible proof that she's even eaten anything for breakfast. She glances over to Daedalus when he enters, but doesn't greet him. Daedalus briefly glances at Maya as he heads toward a cabinet before doing a sudden double take. A moment passes before he speaks. "Uh... You seem new." Maya: Oh really now? Didn't think you could even see me since you're wearing fuckin' sunglasses indoors... Daedalus: Hey, I've made 'em work. Besides, I think your taste in breakfast is more questionable than my outfit. Maya: Didn't I see you yesterday? How'd you forget my name already? You guys kinda saved my life, after all. Guess you're used to fishing girls out of boxes in space, huh? Daedalus: Wh- Oh. No, wrong skinny tall guy. I'm his... twin. Maya: Oh, cool; I thought I was just seeing double 'cause of the vodka. Right; well; my name's Maya; I almost died in a box in space, but your robot decided to loot a spacecraft that was torn in half, so now I'm on your ship. Daedalus: Well, I've heard weirder reasons for being on this thing, so welcome to the club I guess.

He turns back to one of the cabinets and pulls out a thing of coffee grounds. He starts the brew and then turns back to Maya again while it runs, leaning against the counter. "Seriously though, what's up with the drinking? It's like... well, I don't have a watch, but it's pretty damn early to be hitting the hard stuff." Maya: The corporation that basically kidnapped me about...10 years ago? Shot me and all my friends into space in an attempt to kill us all along with one of the monsters we were charged with overseeing. If it hadn't killed us, they were planning on shooting the survivors with a laser they had trained on the ship from the moment we left. And that's just yesterday's mistake. Daedalus: ... Shit, alright, I'll give you a pass for now. This wasn't another alternate universe version of Aperture, was it? Maya: It's a place called Lobotomy Corporation. Believe it or not, they export energy; but that's about all they provide uptop. The coffee machine finishes brewing finally, prompting Daedalus to grab a mug and pour some of the pot for himself. "Energy? So what, kidnapping and babysitting monsters are just hobbies or something to them?" Maya: Oh no, that's where they /got it/ from. Interactions with these monsters somehow release energy that can be harnessed and refined into tons of other stuff. Us employees were allowed to use excess to create armor and weapons to defend ourselves with like some kind of sick joke; doesn't make a damn bit of a difference when you're in the wrong corner. Daedalus: Shit... I'll be honest, the whole "monster energy" thing sounds neat, but I know all too well what being trapped in a facility is like. Not sure what'd be worse though, that or solitary confinement. Hell, maybe it's just two sides of a shitty, shitty coin. Maya: ...So you guys came from something like Lobotomy? Daedalus: Ehh, vaguely, and not all of us.

He takes a sip of the coffee, flinches slightly, and sets it back down with an angry scowl. "Tch, too damn hot... Anyway, only me, Collin, and Fawkes came from that place, although I guess I technically wasn't physically present. Point is, Collin and I spent a good couple years or so in this place called Aperture Science, which was a facility designed to test different inventions and whatnot. The problem is that it was taken over by the world's most complex and sadistic AI who wanted nothing more than to test shit, regardless of the cost." Maya: Oh, believe me, I've met AIs like that. Angela was the same way. Then again, she had some weird thing for the Corporation I never really understood; moreso than all the others... Daedalus: Damn, you just had everything back there, huh? Still, at least you had other people around. Getting so desperate for interaction that you befriend a box isn't a good place to be, I promise. Maya: Hey, at least a box won't die on you. Daedalus: No, you'll just be forced to incinerate it in order to move on to the next test. Maya: Anyone who says they're looking to better the world through any sort of business is full of bullshit. Science for the greater good isn't a fuckin' thing; people only care about themselves... Daedalus: I'd be inclined to agree, but the other people on this ship seem pretty damned and determined to prove otherwise. And hey, not all science is bad. Cavemen didn't have coffee machines, after all.

He takes another sip, looking more pleased with the result this time. "Thank God, finally left the lava threshold..." Maya: Maybe not; but I've still yet to see anyone swearing they're gonna fix somethin' big with science do a damn thing good with that promise. It's only ever ended in blood and tears. Daedalus: Well, can't argue otherwise there. But hey, to hell with those people. They've got no hold here on this little soda machine of ours. Maya: ...I don't know shit about any of you; but I get the feeling you guys can make a real change...but you're rough around the edges; disorganized as hell...you people would fall apart in a heartbeat if you ran into something you couldn't handle; I can see it in all of you. You're close friends, that's for sure, but in a pinch, you'd all die in an instant. I've seen it dozens of times in my employees...but the right guns; the right clothes; your close friendships; they won't save you from something all-powerful, or something smarter... Daedalus levels a steady glare at her for a few seconds while he takes a longer swig from his mug. He smacks his lips a couple of times and then lifts the mug slightly in her direction. "Thanks for the encouragement, coach." Maya shakes her head slowly, letting out a sigh as she sets her bottle down.

"You can be sour; but I'm right; you people need help. I asked some of your friends to tell me about the stuff you guys do; what you get into and the like. That Jay kid and your twin are magnets for disaster; everybody in this box is a damn kid; most of you don't even know what you're capable of, let alone what you can do in cooperation with each other...everything you do unfolds in front of you; you've never been prepared for a single incident, and it will cost you in the long run." Daedalus: I didn't say you were wrong, y'know. Your delivery could use some work though. Plus, you don't seem that much older than any of the rest of the people here, and I'm damn sure they're not gonna take kindly to being called "kid". Maya: ...Maybe so. I just don't want to watch this fall apart. You guys could really fix things if you just...knew how to work better. All I'm saying is that it really shows that you guys just kinda...picked up some weapons and started kicking shit around if only to stay alive. Coincidentally, this led to you fighting for greater causes...but it also puts you in more danger. Looks like you're putting the cart before the horse, really. Daedalus: Well, it's not like all of this started deliberately; it was a pretty frantic scramble for survival at the start of it all. Hell, I've only been alive again for a few weeks now, so it's not like I had any input in all of this. Maya: ...Okay, I'm a little tipsy, but you said you were a twin, right? Daedalus: It's a very loose term for a much weirder situation. Maya: I'll chalk it up to clone shenanigans and move on; okay. At the very least, you guys have a medic, and specialists in the recurring fields of...shenanigans that surround your lives. That's a start; probably how you've made it so far. Right, well, once I'm sober again I can probably try to figure out how to help you punks pull your shit together. In the meantime, your medic has the right idea; reliable communication in any situation is invaluable in your situation. Daedalus: I can give you a detailed story if you ever want it, but sure, clone shit. Guess I'll get out of your hair while you try and make your lesson plan or whatever it is you're planning on doing. Maya: Again, when I'm sober, for sure. But alright; you do you, pal. Daedalus starts to walk back out but stops after a few steps. He turns back to the counter and pours a new mug of coffee before setting it down on the table next to Maya's glass. "Should help you sober up. I think."

Not waiting for a response, he heads out of the kitchen.

I think those two could be friends if he can get past Maya’s...extra

[Meanwhile]

Collin casually knocks on XL's door and takes a step back. Silky answers the door instead. "Oh, Collin! Need something?"

Collin: Oh, hey Silky. I was just wondering if XL had finished working on those communicator things after that incident on the island. Never know when we're gonna need those things again, after all. Silky: Thanks to Rio, yeah, we've got a more functional build going this time. They're still kinda big, but they look a lot less like toys. She's still trying to make one for everybody though; but there's several that are ready now. Collin: Ah, nice. What've we got now, then? Silky goes back into the room and retrieves another one of the hockey puck sized commuincators; the colors now a darker shade of blue, nearly black, with lighted ring around a small touch screen in the center. The ring at the moment is glowing white.

"The light has multiple functions; it can change colors; you can turn it off; it can shift to a blacklight;  but mostly it's just to tell the commuincators apart. They're waterproof to absurd depths, mostly for my sake; heat resistant to extreme temperatures, mostly for XL's sake; in all likelihood they're cold resistant, but we weren't able to test that past the freezer since Firefly was so busy...there's trackers, but they can be disabled; a recording function; obviously a camera and mic, but both can be disabled individually..." XL: We mostly made this with the idea of one of you getting kidnapped or running off in mind; if anything weird happens; we'll be able to find you; hear you; or see what's going on. All these functions can be voluntarily disabled, but only by the owner themself.

that’s gonna be useful considering their history, lol. half of holding off on this was making the design, the other half was that it would make doing dumb shit harder. but it could also make things more interesting!

Collin: Wow, that is... one hell of an overhaul you've done here, XL. No wonder you've only got a few ready. XL: ...Oh, you bet. With you guys, we need to be prepared for anything and everything; our equipment should be no exception. Collin: So uh... how do you fly this thing, exactly? XL: It's a touch screen, but there's also a pair of buttons on the bottom; both on the front and the back; either of these will turn it on. Perfectly silent; the backlight can be dimmed to illuminations essentially entirely invisible in darkness. From there, it's just a menu and some icons; easy and fast to navigate. Collin: Faaair enough? I can probably figure it out. I can work a portal gun, so this can't be much harder, right? XL: Oh, this'll be a piece of...it'll be easy as pie, ahaha... Collin's expression changes to his "must've missed a joke" face for a moment. "Well, should I come back when they're all done, or...?" XL: Unless you'd rather pass out the finished products.

Collin: Hmm, well, maybe we should hang on until they're all done actually. It'd be kinda weird trying to pick out who should get one now that I'm thinking about it. XL: Suit yourself; you know where to look if you need them sooner, though. Collin: Alrighty, I'll leave you to it then. Got a guess on how long it'll be? XL: Maybe a few more days; week and a half tops. Collin: Kinda figured. I'm gonna head to the kitchen if you need me for some reason. Silky: We'll keep it in mind! Collin gives a small wave and leaves down the hall, passing through the console room on his way to the kitchen. Maya is at the console, arguing with Nydins about something.

Nydins: We can't just 'drop everything and hold a meeting;' people are working on important things!

Maya: Oh yeah, you look really busy, sweetheart. Look, I really need to talk to everybody I can; but if you feel like you don't need to hear it, that's perfectly fine, you can drop me off wherever you land that isn't Earth; I'm perfectly fine with not helping you people if you're unwilling. Collin: Is uh, something wrong? Rio: Maya's saying that we need to have some kind of big, serious group meeting about how we do things around here, but, well, Nydins doesn't think that's worth interrupting XL and Firefly over... Collin: I mean, I know XL's busy working on those communicator things, but what's Firefly up to? Nydins: I'm...not sure, but she said it was important, so I believe her!

Maya: Aaaand that's exactly why I want to have this talk. Collin: Alright, alright, if it's really that important, we can at least go ask them if they can put it on hold for a bit, right? Maya: Trust me, it won't take too long.

Nydins: ...Fine; where do you want everyone to meet? Here?

Maya: The practice room.

Nydins: B-but there's nothing in there!

Maya: Exactly; it's huge and empty, perfect for all of you to have an unobstructed view. Collin: View of what? Maya: What I'm gonna talk about. I'll meet you there; get your buddies.

With that, she walks off.

Nydins: I just can't read her...she feels like a tight spring just waiting for something, but she doesn't feel bad... Collin: I know exactly what you mean. Still, she seems pretty serious about whatever this is, so I guess I'll go bug Firefly first and see if I can get her out. Rio: Alright...I guess we'll see you in the room? Collin: Sounds good. Try and round up whoever you can too while you're on your way. With that being said, Collin leaves the console room and heads over to Firefly's door, which he knocks on a few times. After a few moments, Firefly comes to the door and opens it slightly, though she seems distracted.

"Is something happening?" Collin: Kinda, yeah. That person that Fawkes saved, Maya, seems really set on getting us all together about something. Can you walk away from whatever you're doing for a few minutes? Firefly: ...Yeah, sure. Just uhh...give me a little bit, I'll meet up with you once I sort this out. Collin: ... Do you need help in there? Is everything alright? Firefly: I'm fine; I'm just looking over some stuff while we're coasting. Collin: You seem a little too distracted to just be reading a book, honestly... Firefly: I didn't say it was a book. Collin: Well, what is it then? Firefly: The flower petals that were in the compartment of the casket Maya was in. They're not right... Collin: Somehow I'm not surprised by that. Well, don't wait too long, alright? She seemed pretty serious about talking to everyone. Firefly: Yeah, I know... Collin leaves Firefly and heads back to his room to get Jay and whoever else might be inside.

I’m sure that Maya mentioned the ship got ate in half, but that won’t stop Firefly from trying to figure out what ate it

As the group assembles in the training room, Maya stands patiently by herself, nodding in approval once she sees everybody in one place.

"About time; thought you guys were gonna keep me waiting forever."

Collin: Sorry, it takes a little bit to get everyone together. Walking around the front of the group, Maya continues to look everyone over carefully.

"Yeah, I understand that. Used to run an entire sector of the Corporation; organization kinda had to be my jam. Do you know why I called you all here?" Daedalus raises his hand. "Oh, oh, pick me!" Maya: Yes, you; the smug, sarcastic stunt double in the shades; what's your answer? Daedalus: You're gonna tell us to get our shit together so we don't die horrible, horrible deaths, right? Maya: In a nutshell, yes. Kind of had a broader explanation, but you know.

Nydins: W-we don't need you to tell us how to do our jobs!

Maya turns, locks eyes with Nydins, draws a gun, and fires six rounds directly at Jay's chest. Every round, however, was a blank of some sort, doing no physical damage to him whatsoever. This, however, does not change the fact that he looks like he wants to vomit on the spot, shakily backing away from Maya before she speaks again.

Maya: You didn't fact check me at all, you know. I told you this morning that I'd talked with your friends to learn about you; that was a lie, I asked your ship to show me everything you'd ever done the instant I got here since you left me alone and unguarded; I stayed up all night learning everything there is to know about every single one of you, then I used your ship to make all kinds of weapons that could've had you all dead in 5 minutes tops; which you also didn't notice. The only things left in my room now are Hal and my suits, but my point still stands: you trust too quickly. Collin: What the fuck?

Collin's hands erupt with energy, crackling with barely contained power. "What kind of fucking stunt are you trying to pull here?" Maya: Look, these guns aren't loaded; check them yourself. Check my whole suit if you want; hell, I'll let you search me too if you want to. My point is that you found me, a sole survivor, on a stranded ship in the middle of space- a ship that was destroyed; torn in half; everybody else bled to death or killed themselves; and you didn't wonder why I was like that? You never thought that maybe I dragged that body over to my casket; that maybe I lied about making friends; you didn't once think that maybe I killed that entire ship and you let me onto yours? Unguarded?! If I were a villain, you'd all be dead. Fawkes' visor blinks for a few seconds "No live ammunition detected. She's telling the truth about that, at least." Rio: There's better ways to tell us these things...!!

Maya: But would you do anything about it? I watched those two kids get kidnapped; tortured; dismembered; and stolen from several times; and they didn't do anything about it! Jay's heart is still exposed; Collin still let me stay alone without question; not a damn one of you even questioned why I had guns in my casket if I was supposed to die in it; you idiots are asking to be taken advantage of, and the universe has obliged over, and over, and over again. I'm cutting you off; you're too soft, and you need an intervention; you wanna be fucking superman; you need to address your kryptonite first. Collin: Call me an idiot ONE MORE FUCKING TIME. Maya: What, you wanna hit me over this? You're mad and scared, right? You should be. You should've been yesterday. I didn't change; you just started seeing me as a threat because I spelled it out for you; because I needed to spell it out for you; and I just gotta ask you, do you really feel safe? You're only two years into this gig and you're still making day one mistakes; I'm just trying to help here. Collin: Oh yeah, because pretending to shoot my fucking boyfriend really sets the fucking mood, doesn't it? Maya: I feel like we're getting off on the wrong foot here; mind giving me a hand in this whole heart to heart thing you have going on?

Nydins: THAT'S ENOUGH!!

Maya: Oh no, I was just getting started.

Demo: The only thing you're starting is a fight! Just shut up; you're making this worse!

Maya gives a shrug as she puts her gun away. "Mad as we are; I'm right."

Maya’s...good at her job. she won’t quit doing it just because she’s not at Lob Corp anymore

Collin struggles to bring his breathing back down to a normal speed and gradually dissipates the energy around his hands. "....Fine. So what do you even want, then?" Maya: I'm not asking you to get paranoid about every stranger you run into that happens to have combat experience; I'm not even asking you to question each other; but clearly the way you've been doing things isn't good enough. Like I said, you need to figure out your weaknesses and learn how to make up for them, or it's gonna bite you big time. Daedalus: Well that's all well and good, but do you have any ideas for that, or is that just the next part of our grand personal adventure that we have to figure out? Maya: Oh, that's gonna be my personal mission with you guys; I figure since you trusted me enough to unload 6 rounds without clocking me into the Nth dimension, the least I can do is figure out what your weak points are and try to help you fix them. Just don't come into my room unless you just really wanna see all the stuff you went through condensed into a few movies; feel like that'd be a bit much. Fawkes: Actually, that brings me to a question I have about all this. How exactly did you figure out how to use the IT for all of those things so quickly? Maya: It makes rooms and food; it can make anything, right? So I asked for clothes; then my suits; my old weapons; ammo; then I realized there weren't any limits. Everything functioned like it did in Lobotomy, but all of it was fabricated from the ship. So I asked for dangerous things; I asked if you had weaknesses, and it literally handed them to me with no problems at all. I figured if it could do something so dangerous, it could tell me about you; so I asked again. I expected a book or something; this damn thing showed me everything from the moment that Jay built it; then from his perspective, all the way up until you found me. Daedalus: Amazing. This stupid soda machine would sell us all out at the drop of a hat. What a comforting thought, huh guys? Demo: It accommodates anyone we let on board. It helped her because we told it she was okay.

Maya: You handed me your history the moment you left me alone.

she does raise good points, even if I’ve never actually thought about making somebody ruin the IT from the inside out

Collin: ... Fucking Christ... Maya: If you want my face value observations; you're making a right step with getting some communication going; separation usually cripples you guys pretty badly. Taking whatever Jay is out to hunt more of what he is has had an 80% backfire rate, though; so if I were you, I'd find a way to block your chest off, or do what Demo does and find a way to distance yourself from your...whatever it is now. Can't say much about the rest of you; you're all working on your individual issues yourselves. Daedalus: Damn, the kleivenn always get the easy bits. Maya: You in particular; you're the one I wanna find out about the most. For somebody that literally came from nothing, you're also nothing to shake a stick at; but it's pretty apparent that you've got about as much of a clue as to what you're capable of as everybody else, and that's pretty...well, it's something to think about. Daedalus: Oh believe me, I've been working on it. Not saying I've made much progress, but I'm fully aware I've got some weird shit going on now. Maya: For what it's worth, Big Red over there might be able to help you out as much as your..."twin." Between the two of them, you'll at least have some idea of what it is you're dealing with, even if you don't figure out what you're capable of. Daedalus: We'll see about that, I guess. The nice thing is that I can work as my own welder now, at least. Maya: I'll probably try to regroup you guys once I have more to say, but for now, I think you get the point.

alienrabitt: ...Just...promise you won't bring guns next time...?

Maya: Guns; swords; flamethrowers; no weapons; promise. Sensing that the meeting is over, Collin turns around and practically storms out of the training room and down the hall. The crowd disperses; Jay going off on his own somewhere, while Zenith and Rio hang back and quietly discuss if they should try to comfort their friends. Rolling her eyes, Maya elevates one of the training room obstacles to use as a seat while she pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Maya: Class is dismissed; you guys can run too, y'know... Daedalus: Oh I know, I'll be out of here in a sec. I'm still just sorta marveling at just how fast you managed to make Collin jump from zero to a thousand. Maya: Guess that's the fear of god people are always talking about, huh? Daedalus: Probably could've been worse. Pretty sure he was more scared than angry still, so at least that went in your favor.

yeah, that’s what she meant by “fear of god;” she made him scared, didn’t she? :P

well, demigod but Y’Know

Blowing out smoke, Maya glances off towards a wall.

"If he's expecting an apology, it's not happening. I'm not expecting a thanks either." Daedalus: Oh hell no, neither of those things are happening- Well, that may be a lie, but we'll have to see. Personally I don't think you're wrong in the slightest, but that's beside the point. Anyway, you enjoy your smoke break, I need to get back to work. With another sigh, Maya looks back to Daedalus.

"...I didn't used to be this harsh, y'know. I spent half the night that I was watching those videos debating on if I should actually address you guys like this or not. In the end, I saw my team in your friends, and I couldn't let it happen twice, y'know? So you're right about that, I'm not sorry." Daedalus: Hey, justify it however you want. I'm in no position to judge. Just be careful about Collin for a little while, you've miraculously landed on his bad side through a combination of timing and pressing two of his very few buttons. Maya: You've got it, blues brother. Daedalus: .... Oh, the sunglasses. Har har, good one. Anyway, I'm out.

Daedalus waves once over his shoulder and leaves the training room. After a while of slinking around in the shadows, Azreldeh finally finds the room Collin is in, slipping under the door and appearing on the other side.

"Slow down, tiger; that much thunder's gonna have lightning too close to home." As Azreldeh reforms inside, she notices that the fountains and the water wall have completely frozen over. The hot tub jets have stopped, leaving the room eerily quiet aside from the quiet crackling of the ice. Collin stops pacing in a circle around the tub and turns to face her, struggling to pull his expression away from a burning anger. "What are you doing here?" Azreldeh: I was worried about you? I've never seen you get that mad at somebody before. Collin: I'm not mad at her. Not anymore, at least. Azreldeh: Then what are you mad about? Collin: Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that I could've gotten every single person I care about killed in a matter of hours? Azreldeh: I mean, feel free to feel mad, but anger won't fix the problem. Guilt; fear; those things you can learn from or something; but anger? What's there to gain from being mad when there's nobody to punish? The only one who gets hurt by that is you, and the guy who took six hypothetical rounds to the chest and hasn't left the bathroom since. Collin: You think I'm not feeling all of that at the same fucking time? Jay could've died right then and there, and there wouldn't have been /anything/ I could've done to stop it. How the fuck can I say that I care about Jay and everyone else when I almost let that happen? Azreldeh rolls her eyes. "First of all, normal bullets wouldn't kill Jay. It'd shatter his heart, but he'd survive. Secondly, even if you had no idea who the hell this chick was, you also couldn't have prepared for a damn thing she was capable of. If you let it happen, that means that, on some level, you knew something was wrong, but you didn't say or do anything. But that's not what happened, right?" Collin: Well no, but that doesn't change the fact that she could've theoretically wiped us out anyway. Azreldeh: Lots of people could've done that. Hell, half the people in the IT could do that at any given moment at time, but you don't see them doing it. She definitely had a point; you guys are a little too quick to be welcoming; but you can't just be paranoid and heartless either. She just doesn't want you getting your kindness taken advantage of. Collin takes a breath and then rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands.     "God... I just don't know what to do now. I feel so stupid looking back on how easily we just let people in here." Azreldeh: ...I mean, what else is there to do? You can't do much to actively take her advice in the moment; clearly everyone else here is trustworthy considering you've been living with them since you got free...unless you mean long term. Collin: I /do/ mean long term. It's kind of inevitable we'll pick up someone at some point in the near future, or at least the opportunity to. Azreldeh: On the honest, straight fly? Not much. I mean, you don't really have a reputation to keep up, so theoretically you could just...leave people that are blatantly desperate or whatever, but then you'd wind up abandoning actually helpless people with people that want to hurt you...ultimately, there's not much you can do besides let people in anyway and just...keep an eye on 'em? Maybe don't straight up guard their room and stuff, but y'know, look for weird things. Collin: Yeah, like the IT manufacturing them weapons specifically tailored to kill each of us... Azreldeh: Maybe your first order of business is making your ship less accommodating. She couldn't hurt anybody if she couldn't do that. Collin: I guess. I just didn't think the IT could do something like that. I mean furniture and clothes are one thing, but being able to figure out how to make something to kill a specific person? Azreldeh: I don't think you understand the limits of what you're dealing with. Do you even know anything about what's powering this place? Collin: Well yeah, it's a chunk of the green sun from SBURB. I knew the IT was intelligent to some degree, but not like that. Azreldeh: Who says it's because the ship is smart? You don't know much about how that chunk of sun works besides being a power source, right? Maybe that's why Maya could make all that stuff. Collin: I... guess. I really don't know. Azreldeh: But Demo and Jay would know, right? Getting to know how your ship works is the first step to knowing how to stop it from doing things you don't want. Just telling it not to might not be enough if someone manages to do something weird with that sun chunk by itself. Collin: Maybe so. God, alright, I should probably go see if I can get Jay out of the bathroom then. Azreldeh: You sure you're gonna be alright? Collin: I have to be. Especially if Jay's locking himself in a bathroom like that. He did get shot at, after all. Azreldeh: Don't talk like that. How you feel; how you're handling this; that's important too. You shouldn't be your own last priority. Collin: It's a hard habit to shake. I've lived through worse though. I did lose a leg once, y'know. Azreldeh: Maybe so; but just because it's smaller doesn't mean it's not important. Little things pile up. Collin: I know that, but... I really don't have the time to uncork all of that right now. Azreldeh: Just don't let it wait; I know how Demo got here, after all. Collin: Daedalus is already here, so at least I got resurrecting my doppleganger out of the way already. Azreldeh: Heheh, yeah. Just...be careful, okay? Collin: I'll try my best, for whatever it's worth.

He glances around at the room. "God, I'm going to have to fix this at some point." Azreldeh: Oh, don't you worry; I've got no problem heating things up. Collin: You don't have to do that. It's my mess after all. I didn't even mean for it to happen, it just sorta... did. Azreldeh: It's whatever. You just worry about your boyfriend; you can worry about me later~.

you’ve hit on somebody in every single log you’ve been in, haven’t you?

Collin: Wh- Good grief, alright, I'm out then.

He makes his way out of the room and heads toward the bathroom. As promised, the door is locked, though the only proof that the room is even occupied is Demo sitting with her back against the door. Collin: Uh... Jay, you okay in there? Demo: He's...fine. He just keeps freaking out; I tried to get him to talk to me, but once he heard me, he quit talking altogether. He hasn't come out or said anything since. Collin: Well hell. Jay, can you please say something to me? "...-on't want to..." Collin: Is there anything I can do to help? Demo: Look, the door's gonna open eventually; there's only one bathroom on the IT unless there's an emergency, so you can't stay locked in there forever, asshole. Besides, it's not like you haven't been shot at before; suck it up. Collin: Demo, that's really not helping. Besides, your girlfriend hid in here for like two days or something once. Demo: She came out when she had to... Collin: Just let me handle this for now. Jay, would you mind letting me in, or would you rather I stay out here for now? Demo slides away from the door as she feels Jay begin to open it, though he seems to be hiding behind the door. Collin steps inside and closes the door back behind him. Jay has stuffed a bunch of towels in the bathtub and has been sitting in it, facing the door the entire time Demo was there. He has blatantly been crying, and will not meet Collin's eyes. Collin puts the lid down on the toilet and sits on it like a chair. "... Want to talk about it yet, or do you still need a few minutes?" alienrabitt: ...Do you think we made the right call letting people on the IT? Collin: ... I do. That much I still don't doubt. Do you not think so now? alienrabitt: ...I don't know. After Oz got taken care of, I stopped having dreams or nightmares about stuff that could happen, but ever since that weird...thing took Demo, I can't stop seeing things. Even the things around me don't feel right; and when Maya pulled out that gun... Collin: ... Did it play into whatever weird thing you were feeling? alienrabitt: It felt like reality had fragmented; in that moment, I saw every possibility in that situation; I couldn't handle it; I watched her shoot me; I watched her kill everybody; I watched her fire blanks; I watched her fire them at Rio too; but only one of those actually happened here; but I don't care which one happened! Collin: That's... Jesus, okay, that's new. I was wondering why this was hitting you so hard, honestly... alienrabitt: I wasn't scared of her, I just...something is wrong. Somebody shouldn't be here; or we ran into somebody weird, but something is very, very wrong... Collin: Okay, it's okay, just calm down for now. I believe you, I'm just not sure what's going on. alienrabitt: ...I don't know either....I'm not sure I want to... Collin: Well, it probably has to do with whatever that thing was with Demo, right? alienrabitt: ...Maybe so. I've just never had this serious of a reaction; not even to... Collin: Not even to...? alienrabitt: ...No. This is something worse than unpreventable; this thing could ruin everything we have. This doesn't just have the capacity to hurt us, whatever's messing with us could bring an end to absolutely everything we care about; I can feel it.

I can’t remember what he was talking about; wanna say it might’ve been uhh...not being able to predict the whole Dez thing

Collin: ... Alright, well I'm definitely scared now. What is it, though? alienrabitt: That's the thing, I don't know! I'm supposed to be able to see what's capable of separating us, but this time I can see everything except for what's causing this! Collin: Maybe it has something to do with that thing that took Demo? I mean, this all started after you ran into it, right? alienrabitt: M-maybe, but I don't know where it is now... Collin: Well, it'd have to be back in Silky and XL's universe, right? alienrabitt: Yeah, but where? Are we sure it's a good idea to track this thing down? Collin: I'm... not sure, about either of those things. I'd say we could go ask someone else about this first, but who would we even go to? alienrabitt: It was working with Lana, right? Maybe it still is...? Collin: And Nuru is probably looking for her too, so at least we wouldn't be alone? alienrabitt: We just need to stop it. Whatever it is, it can't go free. Collin: Especially if just being near it is messing with you this badly. Everyone's okay though, I promise. alienrabitt: ...S-so...what did you decide to do about what happened? Collin: What do you mean? alienrabitt: Are you gonna do something to Maya? Or the IT? You looked really upset, but I...I couldn't go after you...not like that... Collin: Not to Maya, no. Her way of communicating might be fucking horrible, but she had a point. The IT though, we're definitely gonna have to figure out soon. alienrabitt: ...What do you need to do? Or know...? Collin: I'm... not sure. I mean, I guess we need to know what it's really capable of, and if we can stop people from doing all that stuff Maya did. alienrabitt: It's capable of just about anything we ask it. The power that I had as Demonstrator was all due to my connection with the green sun; being able to access that power allows the IT to provide anything, reasonable or not. It's how it can be so much bigger on the inside. Collin: Well, can we put some sort of limit on that? I mean, she was able to have it make weapons to kill each one of us specifically. That seems a little terrifying, don't you think? alienrabitt: Weapons don't mean a damn thing if the person using them doesn't know how...I have to wonder how much of what she said is bullshit. Collin: I'm... not really sure. I guess we'll have to talk that out some more, but let's worry about that later. Are you gonna be okay? alienrabitt: ...Yeah. I'll be fine as long as nobody pulls any stunts like that again. We just need to find that damn thing... Collin: I'm sure we can manage that. It's pretty easy to get into trouble with us, after all. alienrabitt: Let's find Nuru first. If she finds Lana, that thing won't be far... Collin: That's what I was thinking. Wanna get out of this bathroom, then? alienrabitt: Y-yeah... Collin: Alrighty. Hug first? Letting out a relieved, yet tired sigh, Jay hugs Collin. "...Thanks..." Collin returns the hug, gently kissing him on the top of his head. "Anytime, my love."

get a room

uhh, the next log is Intense if it’s the one I think it is, but we’ll be confronting Lana!

#[S4]

[sjworldtour]

29/09/19 Mint at the Market

We’ve spent the day mooching around the central area of Rio, the combination of Sunday and not-great weather making it almost spookily quiet.

Busy day today! Here’s what’s happened:

Bought ourselves a metro “Giro” card, getting annoyed at the machines that say they take card but none seem to work. Missed one subway train then had to wait the longest 7minutes ever for the next one.

Got off at Gloria Station and wandered through a Sunday food market. They had loads of fruit we didn’t recognise, including giant green things the size of small melons which Sam joked were mega avocadoes and then we walked past some cut open and he was in fact right. Someone gave us slices of super sweet juicy mango, which was delish. We found mint!! So smugly bought a big bunch of mint and some limes ready for cocktail time. We shared a tasty hot fried cheese pastry thing which was delish but hard to heat without the melty cheese all pooling at one end.

Walked past the famous bridge/former aqueduct which was built to bring water down from the mountains and now carries trams, in a neighbourhood that gives the impression of usually being quite bustling but was very quiet today, a slightly dreary Sunday.

Went to the strangest cathedral either of us have ever seen. The internet described it as an architectural collaboration between the Aztecs and some aliens, which is bizarrely accurate. It’s a tiered concrete pyramid, sort of ugly and awesome at the same time. Tall flat areas on the faces of the pyramid just look dull from the outside but are massive colourful stained glass windows from the inside. Being 10:30am on a Sunday, it was the middle of mass but no one seemed to mind tourists traipsing through, so we did.

Wandered over to an elaborate theatre, with lots of gold leaf. Again, everything was very quiet, the little streets crammed with shops but all shuttered today. We walked past an old library in a beautiful building, but sadly that was also closed, so we changed tack and headed out towards the sea front. First impressions of Rio at this point were that it’s dirtier and a bit more intimidating the Buenos Aires, with more evidence of poverty and homelessness despite all the economic troubles in Argentina. Having read lots of cautions about pickpocketing and petty crimes, we were being extra cautious with our possessions, but to be honest were not hassled at all.

Got to a wide pedestrian area on the sea front and the atmosphere changed significantly – this is where all the tourists were! Took photos of a large bicycle sculpture, peered at warships and submarines in the military dock, and wandered up to a big square by the Museu do Amanhã – Museum of Tomorrow. There were lots of street food vendors with hand carts, market stalls, and general colourful busyness, and some music and dancers and political banners in the square, all giving off a very bright, loud, Rio-ey feel.

We went in to the museum, and despite the initial queueyness had a fantastic time. Upstairs is an interactive exhibition about the human impact on the planet, obviously very sobering but really well made, with beautiful photos and art and games to play. We were there ages and were thinking we were pretty much done when we discovered the whole downstairs exhibit. This talked about increasing pressure on food resources and some of the innovations and research going in to making food go further. On the way out of the museum you can make choose a pledge to try to reduce your food impact, and take a packet of seeds. As well as being a great museum, the building is very cool, styled a bit like a boat with loads of natural light and covered in solar panels. Joey kept squeaking about it. The queue to get in when we left was absolutely huge, snaking across the entire square, so we were very pleased about getting in earlier.

We planned to walk across to an island, but it was definitely a military area, so we turned South along the front, walking past the ferry terminal and various big palaces and impressive buildings. The National History museum is free to enter on Sundays, so although we were tired and hadn’t really had lunch we popped in briefly, and got totally suckered in. Turns out we are great at museums now (although we’re now well and truly museum-ed out). The best bit was a horribly confusing creation myth.

Caught the subway home and spent the evening eating pasta and drinking mojitos.